Cyber Ranger Guardian Story
by The Hooded Writer
Summary: A experiment at Kamishiro Enterprises sends Takumi along with his sister Ami and their friends to another faraway world. At the same time Ben and his partner Summer set out for Oblivia to investigate the Pokemon Pinchers. Destiny unfolds as these youths begin a new adventure. (First arc of a four arc story. Cover images from Digimon Wiki and Bulbapidia)
1. Chapter 1: Two Worlds

**I have been waiting a very long time for this. This was a story I had in my head before I started on Fates of S.T.E.A.M. and The Plegian Prince. Honestly I can't even remember what brought a crossover between Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth and Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs to mind anymore, but as time went along and Hacker's Memory came out, the idea expanded in my head even as I was writing other stories. But before we begin there are some things I want to go over.**

**1: Story breakdown. **

**This story will take place during the plot of Pokemon Ranger Guardian Sings and will cover EVREYTHING. Including the multiplayer missions and eventually the quests. This will mean that this will most likely be my longest project yet. Maybe the longest I'll ever make. Seriously, the more I think of it, this can very well reach a hundred chapters which feels ridicules. So to make sure this fanfic does not seem like a overstuffed mess, I decided that rather then make this all one story, what I will do is break this down into four separate stories in the form of arcs. Five if you count the quests. The quests are more of a collection of side stories that I will do when the other four arcs are done. The only quests that I will cover sooner are the ones that reward you with Guardian Signs and the first quest since it's mandatory to go through the plot.**

**2: Featured Pokemon and Digimon. **

**The first three arcs will only feature Digimon and Pokemon that are in Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs and Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth. Do not ask me about Digimon or Pokemon that are not in either of these games, because I will not include any except for two...maybe three exceptional Digimon I have in mind for the story. More on that later. Now once we get to the fourth arc I am planning on adding more Pokemon, so MAYBE I will consider adding more Digimon. Additionally the Digivolution tree and available attacks will also reflect Cyber Sleuth. And while Guardian Signs is technically a Gen 4 game, modern Pokemon movesets will be applied here.**

**3: Hacker's Memory and other Pokemon Ranger characters. **

**I'm sure I am going to get a lot of questions about this, so I'll save you guys some trouble. Yes, we will see Keisuke and his pals but not until arc number 4. The first three arcs will be the plot of Guardian Signs done with Takumi, Ami and their gang, but arc 4 is a original plot I have in mind that will include Hudie. I also am considering adding more Pokemon Rangers to balance things out. I'll leave it at that for now. **

**4: Which Ranger is the protagonist and why.**

**Ben or Summer? Ben is going to be the quote on quote "main character" for this story. Why? Because I always picked him when I played the game so I'm used to him playing the role. Further more (and if I'm wrong about this someone please correct me) I to this day have yet to see even ONE Guardian Signs fanfic where Ben is the protagonist instead of Summer that has actually been completed, so I plan on changing that with this. So those of you who prefer Summer, being the protagonist, sorry, but I'm afraid it's not happening here. But if it's any comfort I do plan on having her do more in this story then the partner Ranger did in the game. Ben will also have more of a voice and a personality. Same with Takumi and Ami.**

**5: Update schedule.**

**Like I did with Fates of S.T.E.A.M. I am playing Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs on the Wii U (Yeah, remember that thing? You can get all the Pokemon Ranger games on it via the eshop) as I write this for reference. Thankfully I can play through this game much, MUCH faster then I can Fire Emblem Fates. So for now I can safely say we are looking at weekly updates. If anything happens that might cause delay, I'll try to alert you in the chapter before it if I can, but hopefully it won't come to that.**

**And that should be evreything for now. So with no further delay enjoy!**

* * *

"_…Where am I…?" _Takumi Aiba looked around. If was pitch black around him.

"Ta…mi…" A voice could be heard. "Takumi…"

He looked behind him. There was a tall black armored figure. Then it clicked to him. He knew the voice. He knew who this was. "K-Kyoko! …No…Alphamon!"

"Takumi…something has happened in the Digital World."

"What?"

"Digimon under the care of the Royal Knights have been gone missing…it's as if they have…disappeared."

"Disappeared? But…what am I supposed to do?"

"You and your sister will find out. I am counting on you both…" The Digimon slowly faded away.

"W-wait, what do we do?! Alphamon!"

"Know you will not be alone…You will have allies…some old…some new…But beware…this will be unlike any case you have encountered before…"

"What do you mean?! Hey!"

"Hey bro! Wake up already!"

* * *

"Gah!"

The young boy shot into an upright position on his bed. He looked up to see his sister, Ami, Aiba, already dressed. "There you go! I thought I was gonna have to start slamming pots and pans together or something!"

The boy rubbed his still sleepy eyes. "Ngh…What was with…that dream? What did Alphamon mean by…?"

Ami looked at her brother with a confused stare. "Alphamon? But the Digimon stayed back in the Digital World."

"Alphamon said something about the Digital World going through something…and that we need to do something…"

Ami sighed and shrugged. "How? The Eaters are gone, remember? It was probably just a dream…though, I wouldn't mind if we could see them all again…Alphamon…Palamon…Terriermon…"

Takumi sighed. "Yeah…I wonder how those guys are all doing."

"Me too…But we need to get going!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Come ON! Did you seriously forget?! Kamishiro Enterprises is commencing the experiment today! You know, the one Yuuko invited all of us to!"

Takumi's eyes widened. "Oh, snap!" He threw the covers off of him and hurried over to his dresser.

Ami sighed and walked out of his room. "Some things never change."

* * *

In EDEN Kamishiro Enterprises, Kyoko, Nokia, Arata, Yuugo, Yuuko, and even Fei, Makiko and Goro were all waiting inside the entrance. "Ugh. What is taking them so long?!" Nokia asked pacing back and forth.

Arata sighed. "I bet one of them slept in…AGAIN."

"Have faith." Kyoko soothed. "They're harder workers then you think."

"Hey!"

Everyone saw Takumi and Ami fly over to their location. Nokia pouted as they arrived. "Well it's about time!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Takumi laughed nervously. "I was a bit slow getting up."

"Heh. Well at least you're not too late." Yuugo smiled.

Ami then noticed the detective with them. "Mr. Matayoshi! We haven't seen you in a while! How's it going?"

The older detective smiled. "Oh, same old, same old. Keeping the city safe and all that."

"So, what brings you and Makiko here?" Takumi asked.

"This project is a big deal kid." The police woman replied. "It's best if someone from our department observes this so there isn't any trouble. That and I wanted to hang out with Nokia. It's been a while since I got an excuses to see her."

"Oh? You two know each other?" Ami asked.

"You didn't know?" Nokia asked. "Makiko and I are cousins."

"Really?" Takumi asked. "I had no idea."

"Yup! She helped me out a lot when I was little."

"Mostly beating on punks that had the nerve to bully her as a kid." Date grinned cracking her knuckles.

Takumi sweat dropped and shivered. "Heh...You'd be a jerk to bully someone as nice as Nokia. "But to do it knowing they'd be on your bad side they'd have to either be really brave or really stupid."

"Darn straight!"

It was then when Rie came out. "Oh, good! You're all here! And just in time!"

"Huh Mrs. Rie?" Nokia asked. "Where's Yuuko and Yuugo's father?"

"Mr. Kamishiro isn't feeling well today, so I was asked to fill in for him."

"So, what's this big project about?" Fei asked.

"I am so glad you asked! Who here is familiar with the theory of other worlds?"

"I know that there is a theory for an infinite number of parallel worlds with potentially an infinite number of each individual." Kyoko stated.

"So, you're saying there are an infinite number of Nokias?" Arata asked. "That's a scary thought."

"Jerk!" the girl pouted, sticking her tongue at him.

"That's right." Rie nodded. "Some scientists think that there are other, "alternative earths" that are different from ours. Some that are very similar to ours as well."

"Recently Kamishiro Enterprises made a huge discovery." Yuugo said. "We have come across the first clear evidence that an alternate world may actually exist."

"That sounds so cool!" Ami smiled. "What's it like?"

"We don't know yet." Yuuko replied. "But working with special government science teams, we think we found a way to send one's mental data temporarily to this other world."

"Sooooo like how our planet sent men to the moon, we're going to send someone to a whole other world!" Rei said in excitement.

"Sweet! Let's see the Americans top that!" Takumi joked.

"Wait…What will happen to the person that gets sent?" Fei asked. "How will they get home?"

"We selected some volunteers and installed an eject program into their Digivices. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Now then, if everyone would come inside."

One by one everyone entered the virtual structure. Once it was just, Yuugo, Yuuko, Makio, Arita, Takumi, and Ami, the black-haired boy turned to them. "I don't know if I should get your hopes up, but…Yuuko and I think this other world could very well be the Digital World."

Aside from him and his sister, the other kids were stunned into silence. "What?! Really?" Arata asked.

"No promises. But it is a possibility." Yuuko replied.

"That would be great!" Naiko smiled. "I can see Agumon and Gabumon again!"

"It can't be…" Everyone's attention was on Takumi. "That's gotta be a coincidence…or is it really…"

"Takumi? Are you thinking about that dream?" Ami asked.

"Dream?" Yuugo asked.

"This morning…I dreamt that I meet Alphamon again…"

"Alphamon?" Nokia asked. "The Digimon that took over Kyoko's body?"

"Yeah. Alphamon told me that Digimon were disappearing. And that my sister and I were needed."

"It was probably just that. A dream." Arata suggested.

"I thought so too." Ami admitted. "But after hearing this…"

"But what could make Digimon disappear?" Yuuko asked. "The Eaters are not a problem anymore."

"I have no idea." Takumi replied shaking his head.

"Well, that's all the more reason to check this out!" Nokia said. "Come on!" The six hurried inside.

* * *

Inside there was a large cylinder of light rising up throughout the structure. "Father named it the Alternative Reality Corridor System. The ARC System for short." Yuuko said.

"So…how does this work exactly?" Takumi asked.

Rei smiled as she turned around. "Oh, it's very simple. See, first we take one's mental data, and send it the other world, where it will adapt to the atmosphere, and slowly build via…

_Five minutes later…_

"…And then it will form into an identical shape of a cyber body and act just like a human body would. Amazing, right?"

Out of all the people there, Kyoko, Arata and the Kamishiro siblings seemed to be the only ones who were able to comprehend anything of what they just heard. Takumi and Ami managed to keep track for a bit before getting lost. The rest all looked insanely baffled. Nokia looked like she was hit with a question at class on material she didn't study for. "Okay…um…what?"

Yuuko whispered into her ear. "Remember how Takumi and Ami had half cyber bodies? Think of it like sending someone in that state to this new world."

"Ooooooooooh. Okay, now I got it." the girl replied with a thumb up.

"You're so good at explaining things Yuuko." Rei smiled.

"So, who's going to be sent?" Date asked. "Hopefully whoever does it is knows the risk they're about to take."

"Oh, you don't need to worry detective. Our specialists are properly trained and well aware of the risks. They should be here soon and we will watch them as they voyage into-

Just then the room became distorted for a brief moment. "What was that? Arata asked. "Come kind of glitch?"

Suddenly the pillar in the center started to glow. The room started to shake violently. "That can't be good." Ami said.

Rei was contacted by an employee. "T-this is a disaster! It looks like the ARC System was just hit by some kind of virus!"

"What?! Can you stop it?!"

"None of the controls are responding! We have no idea what's going to- The connection was cut off. Rei looked behind her to see the pillar glowing red.

"Look out!" Kyoko grabbed Rei and threw her aside. She went flying passed all the others before she hit the ground. And then all of the others were enveloped in a bright flash.

Rei was blinded from it. But it died down shortly. She slowly got back to her feet. "Goodness, that gave me a fright. Is everyone oka- As she got up, she found herself alone in the room and the pillar lost it's color as if it were dead. "Oh, dear."

* * *

Oblivia Region high in the sky. It was a normal sunny day. Three Pidgey were flying freely. The clouds below them looked like a white fluffy floor. They flew freely enjoying the whether. But it was interrupted when they heard a cry of some sort. They moved aside quickly as two Pokemon zoomed by. Two dragons of some sort. One blue, one red. The two were dodging some form of energy bullets.

Two shady characters caught up to them. Both whore green uniforms with caps and were flying on some sort of UFO crafts with two control sticks coming out of the top. "Whee haa!" the male on the right yelled.

"Just give it up already!" the woman accompanying him smirked. "Do you really think you can get away?!"

The two looked behind them anxiously as they approached. They continued flying as fast as possible.

"You just don't know when to give up!"

The ridders slowly got closer. Just then they heard another Pokemon's cry from behind them. "Hold it right there!"

Both riders looked behind them. "Wh-who's that?!" the woman asked.

A Staraptor caught up to them. Ridding on it was a young male with his brown hair sticking up. He had blue shoes, shorts and a blue top that was white going down the middle. He had a red vest over it, blue fingerless gloves, a yellow scarf and goggles over his eyes. On his right wrist was a strange device. "Let's see if you can guess."

"Red goggles, a yellow scarf…"

The woman spotted the machine on his wrist. "And a Capture Styler!"

"You're…A Pokemon Ranger!"

The boy smirked. "Bingo! Now that the interdictions are out of the way what say you two just pull over." A Pidgey flew towards him. "Heh, heh. I was hoping you'd say no." He said holding his right fist up at it. "Capture on!" A disc came flying out of the device and towards the bird. The boy swiped his arm upward, to the side and then straight down. The disc spun around the Pidgey in four loops, leaving a glowing trail. It closed in around the bird in a bright light. Once it was done the Pidgey's eyes softened and it flew away. "Too easy!"

Taking advantage of the commotion the two dragons up ahead dove into the clouds below and disappeared. The male in green barley got a glance before they were gone. "Feh! Not only was our Pidgey, captured, but our targets got away! It's hard to believe someone could pull off a midair capture like that. You're something else!"

The boy caught the disc into the insert on his wrist as it came back. "Why thank you. We Rangers strive to please."

"Oblivia's very peaceful." The woman said. "We don't need a Ranger like you!"

"Oh, and therefore what it does need are a bunch of crooks?" the boy asked. "You're the reason why I was sent here. If you disturb the peace, I'll do whatever it takes to restore it!"

"This is how we dispose of unnecessary trash! With a Plasma Cannon!"

The man pressed the buttons on his control sticks. Two green spheres came towards the boy. He guided his Staraptor to the left and right, dodging them. "Nice, aim, loser!"

"How did the Ranger manage to dodge my attacks…?"

"What? Can't comprehend? Well it's simple, when you fired the first shot I guided my Staraptor away from it. And when you fired the second one I-

"You are good…" the woman interrupted. "But let's see if you can handle our double-team attacks!" The two ridders shot blast after blast. The boy spun around the first few. Then when two more came he flew upward and around in a loop. All while staying hot on the stranger's tails.

After a few more panicked shoots all pushing the buttons did were a few clicks. "Oh no! My Plasma Cannon's battery is dead!"

The woman also mashed the buttons to no avail. "Mine, too! Scaring our target with wild firing might not have been the best idea…I guess we'll just have to ram 'em!"

The boy laughed. "Yeah right. Ram into a Staraptor-one of the fastest flying types-with a couple of rusty trash cans."

"Are you sure you want to do that? Now you have to deal with two Rangers!" Another Staraptor appeared. On this one was a girl with short brown hair the same age as the boy and a similar uniform. The only difference being her shorter shorts.

"Oh no! There was more than one of them!" the male said.

"What took you so long?" the boy grinned. "You're missing out on all the fun!"

"Sorry about that." The girl smiled.

"The Plasma Cannons aren't working! Rangers keep popping up!"

"Hey, it could be worse." The boy joked. "What it Zekrom suddenly came out of nowhere and struck you with lightning?"

"I hate to say it, but it looks like we have to retreat!"

"Think we're just going to let you?" the girl asked.

Just then a new voice was heard. "Wait! There is one more on our side now, too!"

Another figure burst from the clouds below and came in between the mysterious ridders. He had a red version of the flying machine his companions had. He wore a red vest and had blond hair with a red stripe in the middle.

"Our leader!" the man to his right said. "They're Pokemon Rangers!"

"I can see that. This is the first time I've seen flying Rangers, though. Two Ranger brats putting on airs with their bright red goggles and scarves. What a joke!" the man smirked.

"So, you must be the head honcho." The boy said.

The girl glared at the man. "Who's a joke? You're the leader of a team that can't handle a couple of "brats!"

"Summer claim down. He's just taunting us." The boy said to his partner.

The man glanced at her. "You there…Do you know the consequences of mouthing off like that? I have just the sport for a tough-talking brat like you. Skydiving…with no parachute!" Two red lights glowed from the machine. Summer's eyes widened knowing what was coming next. "Take that!"

Summer closed her eyes as a rapid-fire stream of red blast came towards her. Panicking the boy guided his Staraptor to the right. "SUMMER, LOOK OUT!"

"EEEEEEEK!" Summer heard the blasts hit, but she felt nothing. She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was fine. "…Huh? What Happened?"

The man in red smirked and closed his eyes. "Sacrificing themselves for another…How bold." He then opened his eyes and directed them to Summer. "You should at least thank your partner for saving you. 'Cause now they're hurtling headfirst into the ocean."

The girl's eyes widened. Her heart stopped momentarily. "What did you say? He saved me and now he's falling into the ocean?!"

"Well now…You seem lucky. Maybe we should make you into our lucky charm."

Summer wasn't listening. Instead she flew straight down. "BEN!"

"After her!"

The three flying machines went in hot pursuit. She didn't even see the red machine spout a circular claw from the bottom. It charged in and snatched the ranger from behind, trapping her arms at her sides and lifting her off the bird. "No! Let go of me! Ben!" she yelled, kicking the air. The Staraptor turned around to save her, but was intercepted by the other two goons.

The man smirked as the crane lifted her up to his level. "Hmm…on second thought, that scarf might be useful." He undid the cloth around Summer's neck and started tying it around her eyes. "We lost our targets, but nabbed a Ranger. I'd call it a good day."

* * *

SPLASH

Ben barley had time to put his Aqualung on before he crashed into the ocean. "Ow…that hurt. At least I'm still in one piece thanks to the Styler. How far am I to la- He went to check his Styler only to find his wrist bare. "Uh oh."

He looked left, right, and then down. The dive slowly sank until it hit a Mantyke on the head. The Pokemon looked confused as it saw it. Then it took it in it's mouth and swam away.

"Oh, great." Ben swam after it as fast as he could. "Hey!" The Mantyke was frightened to see him at first. It shot small bubbles as it swam downward, Ben avoided them as he kept going. "Good thing I practiced for this type of thing." It didn't take long for him to catch up and hold it firmly in his hands. The Mantyke squealed and struggled, until Ben put it in a warm embrace. Once it settled down be held up. "Sorry little guy. But I need that."

The small Pokemon was confused at first. Then it's eyes lite up and it dropped the Styler and it sunk onto a rock under them.

"Thanks pal." Ben let the Mantyke go and watched it go free. He took the Styler and put it back on his wrist. Looking down he then saw a strange pedestal with a pattern that looked like rainbow wings. "Huh? What's this?" He looked around. There were strange pillars around him.

The Styler lite up again. **"Danger! Danger! Massive object approaching!"**

"Massive obje- Suddenly he heard noise and felt a vibration. "What the-

"**Danger! Danger! Extremely strong current! The current…is…zzzzzzzzz…"**

Ben then saw something huge come towards him. Something metallic. "Like today couldn't get any better."

* * *

Up on the surface a submarine rose. A hatchet opened up.

"Attention, Z.Z. Flyer Squad! Our target is Dolce Island! Commence attack now!"

A group of men dressed like the ones Ben had encountered before came out on their flying machines. The one in charge turned to the others. "All right, Pinchers, let's go! Docle Island is uninhabited. We can do whatever we want, and no one's here to see!" One by one they flew off.

* * *

On the peaceful Island A Pichu was surrounded by it's eight Pichu friends along with two Bulbasaur, two Meril and a Sunkern.

"Pichu!" It took out the blue ukulele strapped to it's back and started playing a relaxing tune. All the Pokemon around it were smiling, enjoying the music. Once it was done the Pokemon started cheering. Pichu was pleased. It lived to see those happy faces.

But the moment was cut short by a sound. It looked up to the source of the noise.

"P-Pi! Pi!"

The other Pokemon looked up, and were then struck with fear. They all ran off to hide. The ukulele player watched all of them run off in panic before it hid itself away. Three of the fliers descended. The leader turned to the other two. "You two, split up! Capture them!"

"Roger!" The three of them flew in separate directions.

Yuuko hid behind a tree as she watched three Pichu run away. "Are those Digimon? Then this is the Digital World." Then she saw a man in a green uniform bar their way. He held out his wrist and a purple light emitted from it. Yuuko watched as one of the Pichu were enveloped in the light and slowly disappeared. The Other two ran away. The man laughed walking after them. "What was that? Some kind of Digimon Capture program? Huh?"

Around the island she saw more of these men hoarding Pokemon. Two of them cornered a Pichu and caught it with their wrist gadgets. Two more chased a Meril. Two more Pichu were caught trying to protect a Meril that then ran away with another man on his machine chasing it. The man that caught the Pichu then saw an angry Ursuring charge at him, but he held out his wrist and it was caught in a light.

The man on his machine looped around. "Still, it's amazing that in such a short time, we were able to pinch this many Pokemon. It's all thanks to these Control Gauntlets they gave us."

Yuuko stared at him. "Po…kemon…? So, this isn't the Digital World? But what's this about pinching? Are these people criminals?"

"We couldn't find the Pokemon we were looking for. But that also means that Pokemon isn't here, which is valuable information, too. Let's return to base and have our leader tell us what a good job we've done!"

"That can't be good. I'd better get help." Yukko didn't see the twig as she turned around and stepped forward.

CRUNCH

"Wait, what was that?"

"It came from over there!"

Yuuko froze. "Oh, no." As soon as she heard rustling coming towards her she ran in a different direction. But then she heard those flying machines heading right for her. Sounds were approaching all around her as she backed against a tree, looking desperately for a way out.

* * *

Shortly after it heard all the flying machines leave the ukulele Pichu jumped out of the tree it hid it. It saw all of it. It saw all of its friends disappear. It lifted its head and began to cry.

* * *

**To be continued. The fisrt chapter didn't cover much in terms of Guardian Sign's original plot but hopefully this is enought of a start for you to dive into for now. Look forward to more next week! As always thank you for reading and if you have time to leave a review any opinions will help me improve as a writer and will be apriciated.**


	2. Chapter 2: Reunions and First Encounters

**Pokemon Rangers. Protecters of nature. Cyber Slueths. Investigaters of the digital. Born in different worlds these two brands of vanguards fought alongside mysterious creatures known as Pokemon and Digimon. One day a Pokemon Ranger falls from the sky while in persuit of mysterious villians. At the same time a experiment gone wrong wisks two Cyber Slueths and their friends to his world. A new story is about to beguin for these young adventurers. **

* * *

"Ugh…" Takumi slowly opened his eyes. A ringing sound echoed in his ears. The area seemed dark, with slits of light slipping through. "Oh…my head…" he groaned sitting up. Now he could tell that he was surrounded by trees, covering the sky. "What is this place…?"

"Owww…" Looking to his left he saw Ami get up on her knees and shake her head. "Huh? What happened?"

"You okay? The, last thing I remember was the device at EDEN going haywire. After that a bright flash and…I don't know…Uh, oh. I don't see Arata, or the others anywhere!"

The twins got up and dusted themselves off. "So, wait…" Ami asked. "Did we get sent to the other world? Is this the Digital World?"

"I don't know…it looks like the jungle we went to there but…something's off."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." Takumi said. "The air just feels…different." He then activated his Digivice. "*sigh* I can't get a hold of Kyoko or the others. Figures."

"Let's see if we can find someone and ask."

"Right."

The two teens walked out of the trees and into the sun. "Wow. This place is to the brim with nature." Ami said. "Huh? Hey, look over there!"

Two Sunkern came towards them. "Digimon? Huh. I stand corrected." Takumi said.

"I've never seen those kind of Digimon before."

But then they noticed something. They seemed angry. "SUN!" Without warning they spat seeds at them.

"Whao!" Takumi and Ami jumped away just in time.

"I don't think they're happy to see us!" Ami said.

"Yeah? What gave it away?" The Sunkern prepared for another volley.

"Terrier Tornado!"

"Poison Ivy!" From behind Takumi and Ami a green tornado and sharp thorns zoomed past and intercepted the attack before striking the Sunkern flinging them into the trees.

"That's what ya get for messing with my buddies ya floating…seed things!"

Takumi and Ami's eyes widened. They knew that voice. Slowly they turned around to see a white rabbit with green stripes on its ears and a horn run towards them. Next to it was a green plant with eyes and a pink flower on its head. "Hi guys." The plant said.

At first they were shocked into silence. Surprised smiles rose on Takumi and Ami's faces as they ran to them. "Terriermon!"

"Palmon!"

The rabbit jumped into Takumi's arms. Ami lifted Palmon up with tears of joy in her eyes. All four shared a laugh. "It really is you!" the boy smiled like a kid that got just what he wanted for his Birthday. "I'm so glad I get to see you again!"

"Ha, ha! Me too pal!" Terriermon laughed patting him on the head with his ear.

Ami hugged her Digimon. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" Palmon cried.

Takumi and Ami put them down. "This is amazing! Guess this is the Digital World after all!" Takumi laughed.

"Is it?" Terriermon asked. "Palmon and I were just in it until a few moments ago. We got blasted by a bright light and ended up on this island."

"We thought there were other Digimon here." Palmon added. "But none of them seem capable of talking."

"What? Then how did…wait…Takumi. I think that might have been more than a dream you had after all." Ami said.

"Huh?" Terriermon asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I had a dream that Alphamon told me that Digimon were disappearing." The boy replied.

"Well, ya heard right! And I'll bet anything we just found out where!"

"So, how'd you two end up here?" Palmon asked.

"There was an experiment at EDEN we attended to. They were going to send employees to an alternate earth they descovered." Ami explained. "But out of the blue, the program went haywire, and then there was a bright flash. Next thing we knew we were here. This must be the alternate world that Rie mentioned. Let's see if there are any humans around here."

"Right." Takumi nodded. "Terriermon, Palmon? Ready to do some good old investigating?"

"You bet!" Terriermon said climbing up Takumi and resting on the top of his head. Palmon grabbed onto Ami's shoulders.

"Okay! Let's go!" They continued to walk down the path. Soon a beach came into view. "So, this is a dessert island." Takumi said. "Think anybody lives here?"

"I haven't seen a beach in a long time." Ami smiled. "It sure feels relaxing."

"Is that why, there's a guy just lying down in the sand over there?" Terriermon asked pointing ahead with his ear.

"Huh?" Ami and Takumi, looked at the shore, where they saw a young man with brown hair and a peculiar uniform. "Oh, my gosh!" Ami screamed.

Takumi ran over to him. "Hey, are you alright?!" He knelled down, grabbed his shoulder and flipped him over onto his back. "What's this? Some kind of air mask?" He slowly took it off. "Look's like he's still breathing."

"What happened to him?" Palmon asked. "And what do we do?"

"I'm thinking…"

"Pro…fes…or…" They averted their gaze to the boy as he started mumbling.

* * *

_In the Ranger Union, Ben and Summer stood before their leader. Professor Hastings. _"_Young Pokemon Rangers. I've heard so much about you. I'm Prof. Hastings, the Ranger Union's Chief of Technology. Are you familiar with my work?" __Ben and Summer were about to reply when he laughed. "No need to answer that. I called you both because I have an extraordinary mission for you two."_

"_An extraordinary mission?" Summer asked._

"_I'm sure you have heard of this. There is an awful group of people who control Pokemon and take them from their homes. They are called…Pokemon Pinchers!"_

"_Seriously?" Ben chortled. "Do they have their own action figure line up too? That's the corniest name I've ever heard!"_

"_Hmm? Interesting. Keith said the exact same thing. Anyway, up until recently, the members worked independently, but now these Pokemon Pinchers are starting to become a unified outfit. The question is why. In any case, they're probably up to no good. I want you two to head for Oblivia region, investigate their plans, and if necessary, stop them."_

"_Oblivia Region?" Summer asked._

"_Whoa, wait! Wait a minute!" __Another man ran into the room. "If you need an explanation of the Oblivia region, leave it to me! I'm Murph, and I'm in charge of PR here at the Union!"_

"_Murph! I will take care of the explanation, thank you very much!"_

"_Please, Prof. Hastings! Don't take away any of my few remaining responsibilities!" __The Professor sighed in defeat. _"…_Well then." Murph said. "Let me give you a brief explanation of the Oblivia region. In a sense, it's a place that rest of the world has forgotten about. It's a carefree and peaceful paradise!"_

"_You may be right that it is a peaceful paradise." Hastings nodded. "That is however, exactly what these Pinchers may be after. The area is so peaceful that we only have one Area Ranger stationed there."_

"_This is the Oblivia region's motto: "Oblivia, Island of Ancient Ruins and Legends." Sounds like adventure, doesn't it?"_

"_Indeed. Actually, many archeology buffs have been visiting these islands. If I ever have the time, I would definitely like to visit, but…" He then turned back to the Rangers. "Now listen, you two. It may be peaceful, but don't let your guard down."_

"_Now is the second part of my explanation of the Oblivia region." Murph said. _

"_There's more?" Ben asked. _

"_Yup. There are nine parts in all, so make yourselves comfortable, okay?"_

"_That's enough!" Hastings glared. "If you are that desperate for work, I'll think of something for you to do. At any rate, this mission is urgent."_

"_If you're going to give me a job, make it something fun, okay?"_

"_That's something you'll just need to look forward to. Our discussion has gone slightly off track, my young Rangers. Depart immediately for the Oblivia region. Cooperate with Pokemon and foil the Pokemon Pinchers' plans. Defend nature and peace for everyone."_

_Ben and Summer saluted. "Yes, sir!"_

_Ben and Summer performed their special ranger poses. "So, we're off to the islands of Oblivia!" Summer said. _

"_Yup! I'm counting on you, partner!"_

* * *

"Hey, can you hear me?"

"Nnnngh…Huh?" Ben's eyes slowly opened. Being blinded by sunlight he tired to get a view of who was in front of him. Once they adjusted, he saw Takumi.

"Oh, good. You're awake. Here, let me help you up."

Ben slowly reached up. Takumi grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. Ami spoke to him next. "We found you unconscious here. Are you alright?"

Ben lifted his goggles up. "Yeah…I think so. Thanks. You two from around here?"

"Uh, no. See we-

"**Current location…X coordinate 055665 Y coordinate 355671 Seawater has penetrated the Styler's Voice Nav. circuit."**

"What was that?"

Ben held up his Styler on his wrist. **"Current location… X coordinate 05 bzzzzz… Y coordinate bzz…Seawater has penetrated the Styler's bzzzzzz…"**

"Cool Digivice. Is that a new model of some sort?" Takumi asked.

Ben gave him a strange look. "Digivice?"

"**This is Dolce Island in the Oblivia region…Bzzzz…Recovering Voice Nav. Program. Recovering Voice Nav Program. Please verify that you own this Styler by entering your name."**

"Ben Natsuya." The Ranger spoke into the device.

"**Your name has been verified. Recovery is almost complete."**

"You're name's Ben?" Takumi asked.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah, that's my name."

"Well, I'm Takumi Aiba. And this is my, sister, Ami."

"Nice to meet you." The girl smiled. "Oh, and these two are Palmon and Terriermon."

"Hello!" the plant said.

"Good thing we found ya huh?" Terriermon smirked. Ben stared at them with a look of disbelief. "Uh…did we say something wrong?"

"No way! Your Pokemon can talk?!"

"Pokemon?" Takumi asked.

"Hold on a sec!"

Ben held up his Styler so it was facing Terriermon. **"Scanning…Scanning…Error. Unable to identify."**

"What? That's impossible! The Stylers have been programed with data on every Pokemon that exists, even legendries!"

"I think you mispronounced Digimon twice." Terriermon said.

"Digimon?"

"This is another world, Terriermon." Ami said. "Things could be different here."

"Another world?" Ben asked.

Takumi sighed. "Well…this may be hard for you to believe but…"

* * *

Takumi and Ami explained everything to Ben. Including the Digital World. The young Ranger was surprised with certain topics as they came up, but he listened to the whole story. "So, you two are from… "Tokyo?" And there's this "Digital World" where these "Digimon" of yours come from? Can't say I've heard of either."

"I know, this is too bizarre to believe." Takumi admitted.

"Hey, I never said that. If that's where you're from, it's where you're from."

Both Sleuths looked at him in surprise. "Huh?! You just…believe it?! Just like that?!"

"Well, you seem honest enough. Besides, what would you have to gain by lying? And if you were going to lie you would have made one that didn't sound so bizarre."

"…Fair point I guess." Ami said. "So, Ben, what happened to you?"

"The last thing I remember was seeing a huge object come at me in the water and getting blown away. Next thing I knew I was waking up, looking at you."

"What were you doing in the sea? You had a strange mask on." Takumi said. "Are you a scuba diver or something?"

"No, this is an Aqualung." Ben explained. "And the only reason why I was in the sea in the first place was because that creep- Ben's sentence came to a halt. His eye's widened as what previously happened clicked back to him. "Oh, no."

"What's wrong?"

"SUMMER!" Ben pulled his Styler back up. "Contact Summer Minami!"

The Styler lite up again, but only static was heard.** "The Styler's communication functions cannot be recovered. Communication with Summer is currently impossible."**

"What?! Dang it…"

"Summer? Who's that, a friend of yours?" Ami asked.

"She's my partner. I was with her chasing after Pokemon Pinchers…their leader took aim at her and…I freaked out! I just flew in front of her without thinking and got knocked into the ocean and…! Ugh…" Ben sighed and spoke into his Styler. "Give me my current location."

"**Current location… X coordinate 055665 Y coordinate 355671 You are currently on Dolce Island in the Oblivia region. According to the data about this area: Dolce Island is uninhabited. The nearest inhabited island is Renbow Island, which is north of Dolce Island, across a narrow strait."**

"Great. Well at least I made it to Oblivia."

"You mentioned chasing pinchers." Ami said. "Are you a cop?"

"Seems more like a special forces member." Takumi said looking at Ben's uniform.

"I'm a Pokemon Ranger. I work around the world to protect peace, people, Pokemon, and nature. I was sent on a mission to investigate the Pokemon Pinchers."

"I see…" Takumi nodded. "Well in that case want some help? We may not look like it, but Ami and are a detective's assistants."

"Yeah! If there's something strange going on, we can't just ignore it." Ami nodded.

"Uh, guys? Shouldn't we be more worried about how we're going to get home?" Palmon asked.

"Well, we don't know what to do about that right now." Takumi replied. "We might as well do something productive."

"I don't know…" Ben said. "You guys are civilians, I can't just drag you into Ranger business."

"You're not dragging us, in, we're following you. You can't help that." Terriermon smiled.

"Well…alright. Just follow my lead and be carful."

"Fair enough." Takumi smiled. "First thigs first…you called that thing a Styler, right? It said the nearest island is north, so maybe we'll find a dock or something in that direction."

"Alright. Follow me." Ben walked away from the beach and back towards the jungle. Takumi and Ami were close behind. He expected to see many Pokemon, around but it was almost like the whole island was empty. "Huh…it's quiet…too quiet…"

As they walked past a stump, Ami noticed something. "Hey, look over there."

A Pichu with a ukulele walked sadly across the grass. "Pichuu…"

"What is that? Is that a guitar, it's wearing?"

"Pichuu…"

"That's a Pichu." Ben said. "The little guy looks sad…"

The Pokemon then noticed them. Its eyes flared in anger as it rushed them. "Pichu!" Without warning it shot electricity from its cheeks at them.

"Whoa!" Ben, Takumi and Ami jumped out of the way narrowly dodging it.

"Oh, ya wanna fight tough guy?!" Terriermon asked as he and Palmon jumped down ready to confront it.

"Let's go!" Palmon said. "Poison-

"Wait!" Ben rushed in between them. "I'll handle this!" He held his wrist up and aimed at Pichu. "Capture on!" His Styler flew forward. With a few hand movements it looped around Pichu six times.

"Pichuuu!"

Ben held his hand back, moving the Styler away as Pichu coated itself with sparks. Once they died down he spun around it five more times. The loops it formed, closed in on Pichu. The Pokemon calmed down. "Hey, it stopped attacking." Ami said.

"What did you just do Ben?" Takumi asked.

"My Capture Styler convoyed my feelings of friendship to it. It knows we mean no harm." The Ranger said as he caught the disc.

The Pokemon smiled at Ben. Then it took out it's ukulele and played a tune. "Oh, how cute! It plays music!" Ami smiled.

"Better him then Jimiken." Palmon joked.

"Pichu! You're okay!" An old man ran up to the Pokemon.

It turned around, happy to see him. "Pichuu."

"Hmm? Where are your other Pichu friends?"

"Pichu…"

"Don't know, huh? Who were those folks who showed up on those UFO-lookin' things anyhow? I was far away, and I couldn't see very well…But what were they doin' chasin' Pokemon 'round anyways?"

"Uh…excuse me sir?"

The man then took notice of Ben. "Well, what do we have here? A Pokemon Ranger! I've never seen ya 'round these parts. What's yer name?"

"I'm Ben. And these two are Takumi and Ami."

"Not bad names. I'm Booker, the master shipbuilder from Rainbow Island across the way."

The Pichu approached Ben. "Pichu!"

"This island doesn't have many places much higher than this, so if there was a tidal wave or somthn' there wouldn't by anyplace to run. So, to make sure I'm ready, I'm always buildn' small boats. They're life rafts for the Pokemon that can't fly or swim."

Pichu stroked the strings of his ukulele. "Pichuu! Pichuu!"

"Seems like Ukulele Pichu's taken a shine to you!"

"Ukulele Pichu?" Ben asked.

"I came up with the nickname "Ukulele Pichu." The blue ukulele looks great on Pichu, eh? This little Pichu's smile always makes me feel better when I'm worn out from a hard day of shipbuilding. So, I threw together a ukulele with leftover wood. It can't really play, but every time electricity runs through it, the ukulele makes a little twang. So, it's a great toy for Pichu."

"Pichuu!"

"That's cool. Can it play rock n' roll?" Terriermon asked.

"Well, if Pichu learned I suppo- Booker stopped right there and looked ready to jump out of his sandals. "G-goodness me! Did that there Pokemon just talk?!"

"DIGIMON! Why does everyone think I'm a Pokemon?!"

"Calm down, Terriermon." Palmon sighed. "Um, sorry about that. I'm Palmon. We're not Pokemon but…well, it's a long story."

"This…has been one strange day…first the UFOs now this."

"UFOs?" Takumi asked.

"When I was strollin' 'long the beach of Rainbow Island, I saw UFOs flyin' above Dolce Island. I was worried about the Pokemon, so I hurried over on my boat. When I got here, a suspicious group was chasin' 'round the Pokemon. Then before I could even holler, they disappeared into the sky on their UFOs. Were they aliens? Or these "Digimon" things?"

"Come to think of it when I woke up, I heard some strange buzzing noises." Terriermon said. "But I thought it was all in my head."

"This Pichu was fine, but there's no sign of it's little Pichu pals or any sign of it's other Pokemon friends." Booker sighed.

The Pokmon stopped playing and dropped its head. "Pichuuu…"

"They probably hid themselves somewheres. By the way, youngsters, this here's no place to camp. Want me to take you to Rainbow Island?"

"That would be appreciated. Thank you." Ben smiled.

"No need for thanks." Booker replied, returning the smile. "To get to my boat, we need to go north then east. It's on a pier on the beach. Let's head that way first!" He then turned to Pichu. "Now, Pichu. Why don't you go let your hidn' friends know that those bad folks are gone. You can use the sound from your ukulele to let them know!"

"Pichu! Pichuu!" the Pokemon replied running into the trees.

"Say hello to your friends!" Booker then turned to the others. "Now, shall we get going?"

"Lead the way." Ami nodded.

The two of them and Takumi left first. Ben followed but stopped briefly. "UFOs…the Pinchers were flying vehicles that looked like that…did they already hit the island…?"

"Ben, here comes another one!" Takumi called.

He then hurried on ahead to catch up. A Bulbasaur stood in their path. "I got this!" Ben said, shooting his Styler. With a few loops the capture was complete.

"Bulb!"

The Pokemon walked over to Ben who petted it. "Good boy. By the way, while I'm explaining the Styler to you guys anyway, once I catch a wild Pokemon, it becomes a friend. It'll follow me for the time being."

"That's interesting." Takumi said. "So, what now?"

Ami stopped in the path. "Uh, guys? A log's in the way."

Up ahead Ben saw the fallen tree in the path. "Must have been those Pinchers. Fortunately, I got just the solution! Bulbasaur!" The grass type shot razor sharp leaves at the log, slicing it apart. "Thank you Bulbasaur!" The Pokemon ran off happily.

"So that's it? You just release him right after?" Terriermon asked.

"The Pokemon belong here. I can't keep them."

"Not even one?"

"Well, all Rangers can each have a Partner Pokemon. My partner, Summer has a Staraptor."

"And you don't?"

Ben shrugged. "They come by sheer chance. I guess I'm just not lucky. But I manage on my own. Anyway, let's go."

They continued north, before turning east at a cliff. As they passed by, Ami caught glimpse of the Island across the water. "Hey, look."

"That's where we're headed—Renbow Island. I live in Cocona Village on that island." Booker said. "Renbow Island boasts bountiful Pokemon-filled nature, simple honest folk, and the magnificent Wireless Tower on top of the mountain."

"Amazing." Takumi said. He then glanced at a stone plate at their right. "Hmm? What's that over there?"

"Hmm? Oh, that? Good question actually. It's been around for as long as I can remember. No idea what it's for."

Ami walked over to it. Another plate was attached with something written on it. "There's something written here. Words in Oblivia's ancient script meaning 'and pierces' are written here. Amun."

"Amun?" Takumi asked.

"Amun is the writer for Oblivia's songs." Booker explained. "The ones about the Hero of Oblivia. Well, anyway, we're almost there. Shall we get going?"

"Right." Ben nodded.

They continued east and soon came across a set of stairs going down. But Booker was shocked with what he saw as he ran down them. "What? My boat is gone?! He sighed as he walked back up. "I must've been in such a rush that I plumb forgot to tie my boat to the pier. I may be a master shipbuilder, but I'm a tad rash and tend to do things like this from time to time…Now I've done it…I can't get back to Renbow Island now."

"Oh, great." Ben sighed. "Well, what now?"

"Wait…" Ami said. "Didn't you say something about making boats for the Pokemon here?"

"Oh, yes, that's right! In fact…there!" Booker said pointing to a boat at the edge of a cliff. "We can just use the ship I've started buildin'!"

"Started?" Takumi asked.

"No need for the worried face. Even if it ain't finished, I still built it! It's still safer than other people's finished boats. I need a favor though, Ben. Can you push that boat into the ocean? Usually I need five strong backs to move it, but today all I got is you. You're a Pokemon Ranger, so you can figure somethin' out, right?"

"Five?!" Takumi asked. "Ranger or not, how can one guy-

"Relax, Takumi, I saw just what I need on the way over." The Ranger smirked before turning around and running off. "Be right back!"

Terriermon turned to his Tamer. "Any idea what he's doing?"

"Not a clue."

"Hey, if you count me and Terriermon, we've got four." Palmon said. "Maybe we can push it."

"Heck, if you could become Megagargomon, you could just toss it in." Takumi shrugged, looking at Terriermon.

"*sigh* I know. I miss being big. And flying. And-

"URSAAAAAAA!" A large bear came charging out of the forest, roaring with it's claws out.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Takumi, Ami, Terriermon, and Palmon were so frightened that they fell over.

Booker smiled and approached. "Why hello there Ursaring."

Ben laughed as he walked up from behind it. "Okay, who did I get?"

"Very funny, jerk!" Ami grumbled as she sat up.

The bear ran over to the boat and shoulder charged it. It went sliding down the cliff and splashed into the water. "Thank you, Ursaring!" Ben waved as it walked away.

"You caught Ursaring that fast!" Booker grinned. "That's a Pokemon Ranger for you! Now we can go to Renbow Island." The four along with the Digimon descended the stairs and walked to the beach. "Well then, now our long voyage shall begin!"

"Will it really take that long?" Takumi asked. "The island's not that far."

"Well, actually, it's over in a flash. I've just always been wantin' to say that."

"I don't think I've ever been in a boat like this." Ami said. "This'll be fun!"

"Here's hopping, you don't turn out to be seasick." Ben joked.

"Pichuuu!" Ukulele Pichu ran over to them.

"Pichu?" Booker asked with a concerned look. The Pokemon leapt into the boat. "What's wrong, little Pichu? You couldn't find yer friends?"

"Maybe they left on the boats you made when the UFOs showed up." Ami suggested.

"Pichuu!"

"Hmmm. It sure seems like Pichu wants to look for its friends and leave this here Dolce Island." Booker said. "Okay, get on board. Pichu's going to come with us to Renbow Island!"

Everyone climbed onto the boat. Booker took the ores and soon it drifted away from the island. "_Why do I have the feeling this is the start of something big?"_ Takumi thought.

"Hey, look guys!" Ami said, pointing to the sky. A rainbow emerged over the island they were moving towards.

Her brother smiled as he petted Terriermon, looking at it. _"Yeah. This is gonna be another grand adventure."_

* * *

"Let me go!" Summer screamed. Her Staraptor was taken from her, and the man in red was carrying her with a metallic claw on his flying machine to who-knows-where. Her own scarf was tied over her eyes, keeping her from seeing. She tried to pull her arms free but she couldn't break through the metal claw with human strength alone.

Suddenly she felt herself lowered onto a sitting position on a metal surface. Then she heard an alarming amount of footsteps approach, and voices breaking into murmurs at the sight of her. Then she heard the leader's voice. "Get the bird in with the other Pokemon. Then truss the brat here up and lock her up elsewhere."

"Yes, sir!"

The claw released Summer, who tried to reach for the blindfold, only to be wrestled to the floor. Her right hand was outstretched with her other hand pinned against her back. "OW! What are you doing?!"

"Break her gadget!"

Summer yelped as she felt her arm get stomped on. The Stylers Energy took any damage she would receive but eventually she heard it break. Then her right hand was pulled behind her back with the other before she felt both of them get tied together with rough ropes. She felt them pull her onto a kneeling position before wrapping more rope around her upper arms and body. "Ngh! Stop that!"

"On your feet little girl!" one of the Pinchers ordered as Summer was grabbed by the back of her vest and roughly hulled to her feet and brought inside…wherever she was via a flight of stairs. She was pushed down countless halls with occasional turns until she heard a door open and was pushed into a room. She felt two Pinchers grab her by the legs and felt rope wind around her ankles.

"Cut that out!" They tied her upper legs and shins before pushing her over. Summer yelped as she landed on her back. She struggled like mad as the Pinchers laughed and left, locking her in the room. "_This can't be happening…Ben…Please survive that fall…please be safe…"_


	3. Chapter 3: Lightning at Rasp Cavern

**Takumi Aiba and Ami Aiba, reunited with their partner Digimon in a mysterious new world stumble upon Ben Natsuya. A Pokemon Ranger who was seperated from his partner while on a mission in Oblivia to investigate the Pokemon Pinchers. Both being lost in territory they are unfamiliar with, the youths agree to work together. After meeting Booker and Ukulele Pichu, they set off for Rainbow Island. One of the seven islands of the Oblivia Region. **

* * *

Ben, alongside, Booker, Takumi and Ami, reached the dock of the island. "Remember to tie the boat this time sir." Takumi said.

"Oh, yes, thank you for remindin' me lad." The shipbuilder replied as he tied the boat off. "Pretty quick, wasn't it? My house is right over there." He pointed to a fairly large structure with a red roof.

As they walked down the dock three children ran from the path past the house over to them. "Welcome back. Booker!" The boy with green hair smiled.

"Oh, hello there, Ralph. You're nice and dirty. Full of energy as always, I see."

"You're embarrassing me. That's a weird compliment, by the way." He then noticed Ben and his friends. "Who're they?"

"This here's Ben." Booker replied stroking his beard. "A Pokemon Ranger. The two over there are Takumi and Ami."

The three kids were quick to run up to Ben. "Really?" The boy with brown hair asked. "But that Pokemon Ranger uniform seems kinda different."

"I've never seen a Ranger with red goggles and a yellow scarf before." The little girl added.

"The uniform does seem a little different." Booker noted. "There's no doubt Ben's a Ranger, though. The proof is that I saw the whirlin' round stuff with my own eyes."

"Whirl around stuff? Do, you mean a capture?!" Ralph asked. "If that's what it was, I sure wish I could've seen it." He then took notice of the Pokemon near them. "Huh? You sure don't see Ukulele Pichu come to this island often."

"Pichu!"

"Do Pokemon say nothing but their own names repeatedly?" Terriermon asked.

The kids eyes widened as Terriermon spoke. "Whoa! A talking Pokemon!" Ralph said. "I'm going to go tell everyone a Ranger and a talking Pokemon came to our village, 'cause I think everyone is worried about the UFO stuff!"

The three kids left as Booker turned to Ben. "Ralph is such a reliable boy. He can probably tell you lots about this island as well. By the way…I'll bet you folks are tuckered out from evreythin' today. Why don't you rest at my place for a spell?"

"Thanks." Ben smiled. "I think we'll take you up on that."

"Good. You come along now, too, Pichu." Booker led everyone towards his house with Pichu in the back. But just when the Pokemon was about to enter himself he saw a UFO like machine fly by. Looked up a few more flew in the same direction. It growled as it gave chase.

* * *

Booker showed his new friends inside. A young boy with green hair was working on a boat as we saw them. "Welcome home, boss!" then he noticed the new faces. "Who are these people with you? Oh no...could it be? Disillusioned with being Rangers, these people have come to ask to be your new apprentices? Then, moved by their words, you decided to take them in? If that's the case, I'm no longer needed, so it's pack you bags and hit the road right?! Boss! How could you do that to me?"

Booker just sighed. "Ben, Takumi and Ami aren't doin' any such thing. If you don't have anythin' better to do than dream up lame stories, why don't you hurry and get our guests some tea!"

The boy sighed in relief. "Whew! I'm so relieved to hear that." He then hurried to the kitchen.

"That's my apprentice shipbuilder, Nick." Booker explained. "He's a hard worker, but he has a wild imagination, and he's always worryin' about foolish things. 'Cause of that, work gets interrupted all the time."

"He seems nice enough." Palmon said.

The boy turned around in shock. "Did that Pokemon just talk? Oh no! Could it be?! They've become super intelligent and are going to take over the world!"

Ami just stared. "That is a weird imagination you've got."

"My point." Booker said rolling his eyes. "By the way, what brings you to Oblivia? And…When I met you at Dolce Island, Ben's cloths were soaked. Not to mention there's these talking things…Digimon you call them? What in the world happened?"

Ben sighed as he sat down. "Well I was sent on a mission to investigate suspicious activity here in Oblivia when…"

* * *

Ben took his time explaining his story. When he was done, Takumi explained where he and his sister were from as well as their Digimon.

"I see…" Booker said. "So those UFOs are the vehicles of the Pokemon Pinchers, a group that kidnaps Pokemon. That means…they took Dolce Island's Pokemon! What an unbelievable group of good-fer-nothin's!"

"What I find worrying is your story about the other Ranger." Nick panicked. "Oh no! Could it be?!"

"Here it comes." Terriermon groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Your partner's been caught by the bad guys and is bound with a rope in…"

Ben clenched his fist and scowled as the image came into his head.

"Nick! Knock off that worthless daydreamin'!" Booker scolded.

"S-sorry!"

He then turned back to the upset Ranger. "Ben. Being separated from your partner and washin' up here has probably made you a little unsure, and I still can't wrap my head around Takumi and Ami's story, but I bet those two feel just as uneasy, but don't you worry none. I'm here, and so is energetic little Ralph and my apprentice Nick. You're not alone."

"Thank you." Takumi replied. "And Ben, don't worry. We said we'd help you and we meant it."

"Agreed." Ami smiled. "You can count on us."

A smile came to Ben's concerned face as he relaxed a little. "Thanks guys."

"And Ukulele Pichu can sooth you with it's cheery music." Booker added.

"Where is Ukulele Pichu anyway?" Palmon asked. "I thought he followed us inside."

Everyone looked around, but couldn't find the Pokemon. Then Ralph ran inside. "W-we've got trouble!"

Booker faced the kid. "Did your mom catch you playin' tricks again?"

"No, that's not it! The UFOs are back!"

Everyone's eyes turned to him wide open. "What?!"

"I saw them flying, one after another!"

"Really?!" Booker gasped.

"Where were they heading?!" Ben asked.

"Towards Teakwood Forest! Arley and the strange girl that showed up earlier went to see what's going on, but they haven't come back."

"Strange girl?" Ami asked.

"But this is Arley we're talking about, and he's incredibly strong, so…Oh no! Could it be?!" Nick gasped. "Perhaps he caught a UFO and was trying to crush it! Catching it was all well and good, but maybe they ended up hitting him with a shrinking ray? And then, and then…"

"Nick! Knock off the pointless daydreams already!" Booker growled.

"Booker, where's Teakwood forest!?" Ben asked.

"West of Cocona Village, past the house."

"Alright. You guys wait here." He pressed a button on his Styler. The voice Nav. Booted up.

"**New Mission! New Mission! Protect Arley and they mysterious girl, who went to investigate in Teakwoon Forest, from the Pokemon Pinchers!"**

As Ben's Styler lite up he backflipped and rose it into the air. "Mission on!" He then darted out of the house.

Takumi, Ami and there Digimon just watched as he left. "What was that about?" the boy asked.

"A Ranger gimmick." Booker replied. "They have special poses for missions."

"Why?" Palmon asked.

"Never mind that." Ami said. "Come on, Takumi, we'd better go after him."

"Right."

"I'll come too!" Ralph said. "I'm worried about Arley! He's big and strong, but I was surprised when I heard how old he was. He's really old!"

"By the way, Ralph, have you seen Ukulele Pichu?" Booker asked.

"I was worried about Arley, so I ran right here. I wasn't looking around."

"You guys don't think he went after the Pinchers on his own, do you?" Terriermon asked.

"Only one way we'll find out." Takumi said. "Let's go everyone!"

* * *

Ben hurried past the village and sprinted towards the forest as fast as he could. "Hey! Wait a minute!" Ben screeched to a halt as he heard a voice. A man approached from behind. "Are you going to Tweakwood Forest?"

"Yeah."

"The Pokemon there were really frightened by all the commotion with the UFOs. Many Pokemon will run at the sight of a person. I won't try to stop you from going into the forest, but be careful."

"Don't worry. I'm a Top Ranger." He then hurried into the forest. Once inside he ran into a branch. The path to the west was blocked by a wooden fence. "Tch! Gonna need a Pokemon that can cut through that. Or maybe I can go around it." He went to the north and saw a man in a green uniform. A Kricketot, and a Hoppip stood in front of him with a Stantler behind him.

"Hey, you! Don't you dare stand in my way! This is what you'll get!" He held out his wrist and the Hoppip was enveloped in light. It slowly disappeared. "These new Control Gauntlets things they gave us are really great! I have no idea how they work, but it's so easy to catch Pokemon with them.

A female Pincher approached him 'What are you doing talking to yourself and slacking off on guard duty? Get back to your post! Now!"

"I still don't think we really need to have someone on watch…I-I'm going though."

Ben watched from behind a tree as the two walked off. "Those guys are the Pinchers, huh?" a voice asked from behind him.

He whirled around to see Takumi. Ami was with him, along with Terriermon, Palmon and Ralph. "When did you guys get here?!"

"Just now. Sheesh. We just finish talking about how you're not alone and right off the bat, you run off on your own." The male sleuth sighed.

"I can do this alone. This is a Ranger's job. You guys should head back, you could get hurt."

"That hasn't stopped us before, and it never will." Ami said. "If people are in danger, we can't just ignore it."

"And I'm worried about the Pokemon!" Ralph said. "We have to protect them from those bad guys!"

"But I-

"But nothing Ben." Takumi said with a determined look. "We're going with you. Like it or not."

Ben just stayed quiet for a moment. But he soon gave a defeated sigh. "Alright. Just watch yourselves."

"Don't worry." Terriermon said. "We know our way around in a fight."

They continued through the forest. They were stopped by a log in the road. "What now?" Ralph asked.

"Hang on." Ben said running back.

"Uh, guys?" Ami sighed. She walked over to the log and climbed over it. "There. Problem solved."

Ben then returned with a Hoothoot, a Stantler and a Kricketot. "Oh…I suppose that's also an option…But I'd better get rid of that log anyway. Someone could get hurt. Hoothoot!" The bird slashed the log into pieces with its talons. "Thanks." Ben said as he waved it off.

"Seriously?" Ami asked as she brushed the pieces aside with her foot. "Do you also use Pokemon to cut trees half as tall as my leg? Or use them to light up caves because you forgot your flashlight?"

"Funny, you should mention that. In some regions-

"Guys, can we get back to the matter at hand?" Takumi asked. "We need to find those Pinchers before they kidnap any more Pokemon."

"He's right. Let's move!" They hurried down the path. Up ahead was a cave. Ben stopped and held his hand up. "Hold up." He backed everyone against a tree and glanced at the Pinchers from before guarding the entrance. Behind them were a Buizel and a Croagunk.

"I wonder how things are going with the secret team in the cave…" the male said.

"Who knows? Our job is just to guard this entrance. You shouldn't be thinking about anything else."

"Secret team?" Ben asked. "Hey, Ralph, what's in that cave?"

"Well I only heard rumors but-

"Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu came charging towards it.

"Pichu!" Ralph gasped.

"What's that crazy little guy doing?!" Takumi asked.

One of the Pinchers approached. "What's with this thing? Got a ukulele on its back. Like it could actually play…"

The woman Pincher recognized it. "I've seen it before! It got away from me recently!"

"Could it be…? Did it chase us here because we caught its friends?"

"Do Pokemon even feel friendship? It's a little unbelievable, but whatever. I'll let you see our friends. So just stand still and let me pinch you."

"Pichu, pichu!" the Pokemon bounced up and down angerly.

"What's with the aggressive posture? It's got a pretty nasty glare for being so cute."

"Come on, watch out! This little guy's serious." The male said. "It looks like it's about to come charging at us."

"Don't worry. We have these Control Gauntlets!"

The woman held out her wrist and a purple ray came towards Pichu who jumped back out of its range. The male came at him from the left and fired the ray, but Pichu dodged it again. "I was hoping we could sneak up on the guards…" Ben said. "But we're gonna have to act now!"

"Fine by me!" Terriermon nodded. "Head on was always more my style!"

The Pinchers surrounded Pichu and pointed their Control Gauntlets at it. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" A bee creature charged at the woman from behind and rammed its head into her back.

"Ack! Who the-

Pichu saw the creature and ran behind it.

"Pick on me instead, cowards!"

The Pinchers stared at it in utter shock. "D-did that Pokemon just talk to me?!"

"Let's pinch it! The others have got to see this!"

"What is that!?" Ben asked.

"That's another Digimon!" Takumi gaspped. "A FanBeemon. It must be one of the missing ones Alphamon mentioned."

"Gear Stinger!" The Digimon shot a horde of needles at the Pinchers who jumped out of the way.

"Come on!" Ben said, running out of the hiding spot. "Those two need our help!"

"Pichu and FanBeemon or the Pinchers?" Terriermon asked as the others followed.

Everyone's attention was averted to Ben as he entered the scene. "Now, kids, would you just leave us alone here…Huh? A Pokemon Ranger?!" the woman gapped.

"But I heard there was just one old Ranger in Oblivia!" the other Pincher insisted. "Well then, we'll just have to get rid of the extra one! Buizle! Croagunk! Charge!"

"Capture on!" Ben yelled as he shot his Styler. The two Pokemon jumped towards him.

"Terriermon! Go!" Takumi ordered.

"Right!" The Rabbit Digimon jumped off of his shoulder and into the air. "Terrier Tornado!" he spun in rapid circles until he was a twister and flew into Buizle, knocking it into the stony side of the cave.

Ben then looked back at his friend Pokemon. "Kricketot!" The Bug type shot a web, at the Buizle trapping it in place.

"Palmon! We're up!" Ami said.

"You got it! Poison Ivy!" It shot its thorns at Croagunk, who was knocked back.

"Gear Stinger!" FanBeemon shot another needle at it, knocking it into the wall. With it stunned, and the other Pokemon immobile, Ben spun his Styler around both of them until they both calmed down.

"Hey, not bad guys!" Ben smirked.

"How embarrassing…" the male Pincher said.

"This is too much!" the woman whined.

"Darn it! They're kids! Let's just wrestle them into submission!"

"Hey!" A girl flipped in between them and kicked the woman in the gut and then rammed her palm into the man's face. Both went flying in opposite directions. "Ha! What a joke. I wasn't even tryin'."

Ami and Takumi were in disbelief. "FEI?!"

The girl looked back at them. "Oh, the two of ya are here too."

"What are you doing here?!" Takumi asked.

"Oh. You guys know each other?" Ralph asked.

The teenage woman looked at him. "Ralph! We told ya to stay put in the village!"

"But I brought the Ranger with me! He can help!"

Fei turned to Ben. "So, yer' this "Pokemon Ranger" I've been hearin' about? A bit younger than I expected."

"Hey, I doubt you're that much older than me. If at all. I take it you're the one who came here with Arley? Where is he?"

"The old guy? He wanted to go into the forest alone, but I couldn't just sit around. He thought it would be a good idea to split up and search."

"Excuse me?" FanBeemon said. "You're humans…but you don't seem like bad people like those two."

"Hmm? This one can talk huh?"

"That's a Digimon, Fei, don't you remember?" Ami asked.

"Remember what?"

Takumi nudged his sister before whispering to her. "Only the six of us remember Digimon involvement, remember?"

"Uh, right. Sorry! Nothing! Forget I said anything!" Ami laughed nervously.

"Who are you?" FanBeemon asked.

"I'm Takumi. This is Ami, Terriermon and Palmon. That's Ben, and Ralph. And those two are Fei and Pichu."

Ralph ran up to the Pokemon. "Pichu, are you okay?"

"Pichu!" The Pokemon ran into the cave.

"Um, Pichu?!"

"Come on, we need to go after him!" Ben said. They entered the dark cave. A deep pit laid before them. "Watch you step everyone." He said leading them down a side path. They ducked as a Zubat flew by them. Ben shot his Styler and caught it. Then they approached a large rock. "Hmm…Can't step over this. I'll be right back!"

As he left Ami turned to her friend. "So, Fei, how'd you get here?"

"After the experiment went out of control, I found myself in the village. Lucky for me the people there were nice. Gave me a place to stay and taught me about these "Pokemon." I tried telling them where I was from, but I think the kids were the only ones who believed me."

"Oh! Are Ami and Takumi from your world Fei?" Ralph asked.

"Yup. By the way, have either of you seen anyone from the demonstration? Yuuko? Yuugo?"

"You're the first one we've seen." Takumi said. "Think they all wound up here?"

"Well Rie was thrown away from the ARC System, so with luck she was spared from this craziness. Hopefully she's lookin' for us and tryin' to find a way to bring us back."

"What you did back there was impressive." FanBeemon said. "I didn't know humans were so strong."

"Oh, that?" Fei smirked. "That was nothing. I can smack punks like that around all day with my hands tied behind my back."

Ben then returned with a Koffing. "Stand back!" The Pokemon rammed into the stone, knocking it off a cliff. "Thanks, Koffing!"

The Pokemon flew off and Ben and the others proceeded. They jumped down a small cliff and soon saw Pichu with an old man dressed in green in the path. "Pichu!" The Pokemon tried to get past him, but he blocked the way.

"I told you not to come in here!"

"Arley!" Ralph ran up to him first. "You're okay!"

"Ralph?! I've told you not to come here! It's too dangerous!"

"Relax old man, he's with us." Fei said. "Besides we got the Ranger here." Arley looked at Ben.

"You two didn't come back and I was really, really worried!" Ralph cried. "This Ranger has come to Oblivia, so I asked for some help to look for you. Takumi and Ami wanted to come too."

"I see. Sorry to get angry with you. But I'm okay. Being a lumber jack has made me very strong."

"Even though you're pretty old…"

"Come on, Ralph!"

"Never mind that." Ben said. "What happened to the Pinchers? Are they here?"

"Yes, they are. Actually, I came here because I wanted to see what these guys are up to. They seem to need something from the Monument from deep in this cave."

"Monument?" Takumi asked.

"It looks like they're only investigating the Monument while a rather powerful Pokemon is lured away. It doesn't look like they intend to harm the villagers right now."

"That must be why they're kidnapping the Pokemon here." Ami said. "It's to lure the big one away. So, what's this about a mon-

"Pichu!" The ukulele Pokemon ran past Arley while he was distracted.

"Hey! Wait!"

"Come on!" Ben said hurrying after it.

* * *

Deep in the cave two Pinchers stood before a Monument. One of them held up the Control Gauntlet. A purple light came up and a strange symbol appeared on it. Then he pulled out a piece from the center. "We got the Emblem!"

"Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu ran up the them.

"Wh-what's it doing?"

"You shouldn't interfere with people's work."

Pichu jumped up and grabbed onto it's face. "Whoa! What? Going to give me a shock, huh?" he asked prying it off with his hands. "Like I'd let you This is what you get!"

He threw him roughly on the ground. His Ukulele fell of and was smashed from the impact. Pichu looked behind it to see the broken instrument. "Pi?!"

"Awww…Broke it's ukulele, huh? You are quite the villain." The other one said.

"PI!" Pichu glared at them with teary eyes.

"How do you like them pineapples?! Arrogant little Pokemon. Trying to get a piece of me. No good will come from capturing you. Stop looking at me. Get out of here!"

"First of all, it's apples, not pineapples moron." Ben then came rushing in with the others. "Secondly, what part of YOU is worth having?"

"It can't be! A Pokemon Ranger? What were those guards doing, anyway?"

"Right now, they're napping on the job." Fei smirked. "Now it's your turn for a trip to dreamland. Seeing punks like you makes me feel all fuzzy…I'm raring to whip out some punishment!"

Ralph then saw Pichu with its broken ukulele. "Poor Pichu! Pichu's ukulele is broken."

The Pokemon went over to the smashed instrument and cried. "Pichuu…"

"I'm sure these bad guys broke it."

"Well whatever could you be talking about?" one of them smirked. "Hey partner…Get the Z.Z. Flyer ready. I can handle these brats on my own. Cranidos! Give them a taste of a headbutt!"

A rock type Pokemon cane running down the stairs. "Ben, watch out!" Takumi yelled.

But then it rammed into the Pincher next to it's tamer. He was knocked over to the floor. "Ouch…" Ami and Fei facepalmed. Takumi, Ben and Ralph laughed at them.

"Not him you dolt!"

"Yes him!" Terriermon joked. "Keep doing it!"

"Wha-A talking Pokemon!? Ugh. I'll deal with your big mouth later." The Pincher groaned, before he turned to his Pokemon. "As for you! Your opponent is the Pokemon Ranger!"

"Stantler!" Ben's Friend Pokemon charged right into Cranidos, smashing its head against his, making it a contest of power. As they faced off Ben looped his Styler around Cranidos.

"CRAN!" With one brutal push it threw Stantler into a rock. It panicked and ran away. Cranidos jumped on the capture line damaging the Styler.

"Gah!" Ben pulled it back to him. The energy counter dropped a bit.

"So much for that, what else do you got?" Fei asked.

Cranidos charged at Ben again.

"Oh, no you don't!" FanBeemon charged her own head into it. Another power struggle started but FanBeemon started to slide back. "Tch!"

"That's it!" The Picher laughed. "Push it back!"

Fei got behind FanBeemon and pushed. "Hey, don't back down! It's just a walking rock, how tough can it be!?"

"R-Right!"

Together they pushed. FanBeemon stopped sliding. They took a step forward. "RRRRAH!" They pushed the Pokemon, making it stumble back.

"NOW!"

"Gear Stinger!" FanBeemon shot a stinger at Cranidos, knocking it into a wall.

"Now's your chance, Ben!" Takumi said.

"I'm on it!" Ben shot his Styler and looped it around Cranidos completing the capture. "Yes! Nice work you two!"

"I was right…you are strong for a human." FanBeemon said.

"Ha…ha…yeah…you too. Now for the-

Fei looked where the Pinchers were standing only to find them on Z.Z. fliers. "Now that I think about it, there wasn't any real reason to fight. We've already got what we wanted."

"Yeah, right! Sore looser!" Ralph yelled. "Cheer up Pichu! The Ranger taught the bad guys who broke your ukulele a lesson!"

"Pichu…"

"Humph. If we have the Emblem, there's no reason to hang around." One of them growled. "Smell ya later, Ranger!"

The Pinchers flew away, but on the way out the bumped into another woman Pincher. "Eeek! Watch it!"

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" the man yelled. "And did you forget? You're supposed to be luring Raikou away from here!"

"Don't get mad at me! You ran into me! It seemed like there was a commotion around the Monument, so I came here to see what was going on!"

The other Pincher shuddered. "Which means…Raikou is?"

"Grrrr…" The Pinchers looked at the sound of growling to see a yellow Pokemon with a white head and purple back approach. "Roooaaar!" It jumped towards them but disappeared as lightning flashed around it. Suddenly a bolt came down in between the Pinchers, and Raikou stood angerly.

Takumi couldn't believe his eyes. "I-is that a Pokemon?! That thing's speed is incredible!"

"Oh no! Run!" One of the Pinchers yelped as they flew away. The Pokemon let out a frightening roar before giving chase.

"Wasn't that the legendary Pokemon Raikou just now?" Ralph asked. "I can't believe we met Raikou."

"Legendary Pokemon?" Ami asked.

"The rarest and most powerful Pokemon in existence." Ben said. "I never thought I'd ever see one with my own eyes…amazing…Ralph's right. We were really lucky to see it."

"Ha. Tell that to those Pinchers." Fei smirked. "Serves 'em right."

"Pi…chu…"

Everyone looked over at the crying Pichu. "Pichu's ukulele was broken." Ralph said sadly.

Pichu then got an idea. It gathered up the broken ukulele and ran off. "Pichuuuuu!"

"Wait! Pichu!"

Everyone watched as it left. "Where's he going?" Palmon asked.

Arley approached them. Ben turned around at the sound of his footsteps. "Oh, Arley. The Pinchers are gone but…"

The elderly man looked at the destroyed Monument. "Those disrespectful simpletons. I thought they were only investigating the Monument."

"What's so special about this thing anyway?" Fei asked. "It looked like something was written on it."

"I can't read it, because it was written in letters from long ago, but I've heard that something about Raikou was written on it."

"Do you think the writing has something to do with that story, "Raikou and the Hero of Oblivia"?" Ralph asked.

"Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. That's something I would like to know."

"I'm sure it does!" Ralph said. "I heard about that legend from Booker."

"Wait a minute." Terriermon said raising his ears. "What's that noise?"

Everyone looked around. "I don't hear anything." Ben shrugged.

Arley just looked at him in shook. "What's this?! A talking Pokemon?!"

"It's a long story sir." Takumi said. "Anyway, I think you're just hearing things, Terriermon."

BAM

"…Or so I thought." A loud rumble came from the pit. Everyone hurried over to the edge to see a giant golem like creature climbing the wall towards them.

"Wh-what is that thing?!" Arley asked.

"I've never seen a Pokemon like that around here!" Ralph gasped.

"That's not a Pokemon, it's a Digimon!" Ami said.

Takumi looked up as it reached the top of the cliff and rose over all of them. "A Golemon!"

The Digimon let out a roar. "Uh, guys? That thing looks kinda mad!" Ben said.

"The Pinchers must have disturbed it! Look out!" Everyone ran away as it brought it's fist down.

"Ha! Ya wanna pick a fight with us?" Fei asked. "The bigger they are the harder they fall!"

"Fei, this thing's a Champion level!" Ami yelped. "We can't beat it with Rookies!"

"What in the world are ya gabbing about now?"

"Crimson Fist!" Golemon's fist glowed red as it charged towards Ralph.

"LOOK OUT!" Ben dove into him, moving them both out of the way just in time. But he went sliding too for ahead and barley caught the edge on the cliff in time to keep them from falling.

"Ben!" Takumi ran over towards Ben as he threw Ralph up to the surface. Just as his hand slipped Takumi caught it.

"Ngh…Takumi, let go! If you don't, we're both gonna fall!"

"Not happening! I don't leave friends behind!"

The Golemon stormed towards them. Ami's eyes widened in horror. "Takumi, look out!"

It raised it's fist ready to attack. "Terrier Tornado!" A twister hit it in the back of the head. It growled in annoyance as it turned its head to see Terriermon. "Leave my partner alone ya dumb rock!"

Taking the opportunity, Takumi, pulled Ben up enough for the Ranger to get his arm over the edge and help himself up. Just as Terriermon tried to attack again, Golemon charged at the rabbit and batted it away with its arm. Takumi watched as his Digimon was slammed against a wall. "Terriermon!"

"Ngh…

"Gear Stinger!" FanBeemon shot a needle, but Golemon knocked it back into her with its arm, knocking FanBeemon over.

"Posion Ivy!" Palmon's vine like fingers wrapped around Golemon's arm, but it effortlessly pulled and flung her into a wall. It turned back to the weakened Terriermon and raised its fist that was now glowing red.

Takumi ran towards it. "NO!" Suddenly his goggles started to shine. As his hand reached out to Terriermon, his glove glowed yellow. Golemon was distracted by its target when it saw the light.

Ami looked towards the light. "Takumi? Your Digivice!"

The boy looked at his hand. Then he noticed his goggles glowing yellow and lowered them over his eyes. Through the lens he saw a blue screen with text appear in front of him.

DIGIVOLUTION

Despite not knowing what was going on, he slowly reached his hand to the screen. The light in his hand turned it yellow, and it shot yellow light past Golemon and over to Terriermon. He was enveloped by it and a blue shell formed around him. "Terriermon Digivolve to…" Everyone was blinded by the light as it glowed bigger. Soon it exploded in a bright flash. As the light died down Terriermon was bigger. He had a red mark on its head, blue pants, and gun hands. "Gargomon!"

Takumi was amazed. "Terriermon…you Digivolved! How?!"

The Golemon charged its fist towards the Champion level, but this time it blocked its fist with his hands. "Ha! Not so thought when you're not beating up a Rookie huh?" Using one arm to hold it back, it pointed it's other at it. Green pellets came from the barrels, bombarding it with energy shots. The Golemon roared in pain as it stumbled back.

"Incredible!" Arley gaped. "He's turned the tide!"

Golemon stepped back as it was pelted before it roared. It then charged towards Gargomon, who reeled back his right hand. "Dum Dum Uppercut!" he rammed his fist upwards as the barrels on his hand continued to fire, and slammed it into Golemon's face, blasting it at point blank range. It fell backwards and exploded into blue shards.

"That's it, you did it!" Takumi ran up to Gargomon and hooked his arm with his. "Nice one partner!"

"Ha, ha! Like old times!"

Ami ran up to them. "Great job you two, that was amazing!"

Ben clapped his hands slowly, in a sarcastic applause. "Yes, great job. You two certainty pulled it off, but there's just one little thing…"

"Yeah? What's up?" Takumi asked.

"YOU JUST DESTROYED HIM! I don't know how things work in this "Digital World" of yours but around here we don't do stuff like that!"

"Oh, relax." Gargomon said. "He's not dead, he just turned back into data. He'll be reconfigured. Eventually."

"I don't know about that…" Palmon said. "This isn't the Digital World or EDEN."

Suddenly Takumi's hand glowed yellow again. "Huh?! What now?!" The shards that were once Golemon flew into Takumi's hand. Then an image of Golemon appeared on the lenses of his Digivice as it displayed "Data Downloaded."

Just then a bright light surrounded Gargomon. It slowly turned back into Terriermon. "Oof. That felt weird."

"Odd. Once Pokemon evolve they usually stay evolved." Ralph said.

"Same with Digimon." Takumi said taking his googles off and looking at them. "That was bizarre. What WAS that? Some side effect of being in this world?"

"Remarkable." Arley said. "That was an amazing display of strength. And that other one…Digimon you call them? Fascinating."

"So Digimon evolve as well…but you call it Digivolveing?" Ben asked.

"Right. Digimon come in six stages." Ami explained. "Baby, In-Training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and Mega. Palmon, Terriemon, and FanBeemon are Rookies. Gargomon and that Golemon are Champions."

"They grow even stronger?" Arley asked. "Very interesting."

Takumi put his googles back on top of his head. "I still don't get how that happened…Well…at least everyone is alright."

"That was awesome, Takumi!" Ralph said. "And Ben! Thank you for driving off the Pinchers! Thanks to you, Arley and Fei didn't have to overdo it chasing those dangerous bad guys."

"For the record, I had this handled. But you did a good job I guess." Fei said.

"I already know what Rangers say at times like these! That was an excellent Mission Clear, Ranger!"

"Darn right it was!" Ben said before performing a Ranger pose.

"What was that?" Fei asked giving Ben a weird look.

"Some Ranger gimmick." Takumi shrugged.

"Thanks guys." Ben said to his new friends. "Those Pinchers were one thing, but there's no way I'd be able to handle that golem alone. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Glad to be of service." Takumi smiled.

"Well then." Arley said. "Why don't we go back to Cocona Village? There should be another exit if you go around the corner ahead."

"Sounds good." Ben said.

"Wait. I'm going too." FanBeemon said. "I feel that if I stay with you, I might run into those Pinchers again. I can't let them do as they please."

"Heh. I'm startin' to like ya." Fei grinned. "Just don't fall behind."

"I won't. It's strange. I feel like I meet you before…" FanBeemon said looking at her.

"Huh. Me too actually." Fei said, folding her arms. "Weird. Ah, whatever. Let's head back to the village for now."

* * *

Back at the village a doctor handed a bottle to an old man. "Rub this medicine on your wounds, and they will heal soon. Please take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Dr. Edward. Having you here is a huge help to us."

Ben and the others returned to the village. Arley was the first to approach. "Dr. Edward. How have you been?"

The man turned around with a smile to his friend. "Why hello there, Arley. You're looking as muscular as ever. I'm impressed that you keep training daily at your age." He then got a glance at some new faces. "By the way, who are these young folks with you?"

"This is Ben. A Pokemon Ranger." Ralph said. "And that's Takumi, Ami and Fei."

Edward extended his hand to Ben. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Edward. I take over sick and injured villagers all over Oblivia."

"Well met sir." Ben replied with the handshake.

"Wait, did you say ALL over Oblivia?" Terriermon asked from Takumi's shoulder. "Yeash. That's a tall order."

Everyone gaped. They surrounded Takumi much to his discomfort staring at his Digimon. "My word!" Edward gasped.

"Ralph was telling the truth!" a girl said. "A talking Pokemon!"

"Digimon! And I have a name ya know!"

Ben waved off the crowd. "Alright, alright people, back it up, that's enough!"

"Arley, what is this?" Edward asked.

"It's a long story old friend. At any rate, is someone around here not feeling well?"

Everyone turned to the old man that received the medicine. "I can still hardly believe it, even though I saw it with my own eyes, but the truth is…The Great Raikou was charging through the village. At the last second, I swiftly dodged the Raikou's charge, but I got this scrape."

"Raikou? That legendary Pokemon the Pinchers ticked off?" Takumi asked.

"Stop spinnin' lies, you." A elderly woman said rolling her eyes. "He was so surprised by Raikou's charge his legs gave out. He only fell. More importantly, dear, when you saw the Great Raikou, was a Hero of Oblivia ridding it?"

"Come now woman. Does anyone Take that old Legend seriously?"

A man stepped in between them. "Now, now you two. No need to argue. I'm just so happy I had a chance to see the Great Raikou." He said before he started singing. "A deep, deep valley blocks the way. If you can cross, ahead, go ahead, I say. The scary valley likes to brag, "No one can cross my rocky crags! What nonsense speaks the silly valley? For Great Raikou it's one bound. Hero on it's back, just one bound."

Everyone stared at the man. Takumi, Ami and Fei in particular were giving him a goofy look. "Is he expecting money?" the red-haired girl whispered.

"I sang that all the time when I was little, because I wanted to meet Raikou. Oh, that's right. It looked like Raikou was chasing those UFOs. Raikou looked really agitated."

"Let's hope it doesn't hurt anyone." Ben said.

Arley cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt the fun, but…I need to talk with Dr. Edward. Feats of strength are my strong point, but my back has been hurting recently. Could you take a look at it?"

Edward put a hand to his chin. "That's troubling. Okay, I'll examine you."

Arley turned to Ben. "Thanks for all your help, Pokemon Ranger. You too Fei. And I certainty can't forget you, Terriermon."

"Just doing my job." The Ranger smiled.

"Arley is really strong, but he's way older than you would think, so…Opps! I did it again!" Ralph smiled innocently. "Arley, I'm sorry! I hope you feel better soon." Arley said nothing as he walked off. Edward followed behind him. "Do you think Arley was mad?"

Edward whispered to Arley as they walked. "Tell me…what is that strange Pokemon? In all my years I've never seen one talk…"

Arley held a serious expression. "There is a lot I need to explain…preferably when we meet the others. You should all hear this."

"By the way…Did anyone see a Pichu with a broken ukulele by any chance?" Ami asked.

"I just saw that Pichu." The old man replied. "It was running towards Bookers house."

"What? Really?"

"I'm worried about Pichu! Do you think it might be hurt?" Ralph asked. "Ben! Let's go see!"

"Right." The Ranger nodded.

* * *

**So yes, Digivolution will work similarly to the anime series where they go back to being Rockies when they're don fighting. If only because it would be hard for them to fit through doorways in certain forms. Also the way Digimon and their attacks will be translated depends on what they were called in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth hence Dum Dum Uppercut instead of Bunny Pummel. Sorry if that's awkward to some but I want to stay true to what things are referred to in the game.**


	4. Chapter 4: Fixing a Ukulele

**Sightings of the Pokemon Pinchers lead Ben, Tak****umi, and Ami to Tweakwood Forest where they found a cave leading to a mysterious monument. Despite defeating the Pokemon Pinchers within alongside Takumi and Ami's friend Fei, and a rampaging Digimon thanks to Terriermon's temporary Digivolution to Gargomon, the villains escape with a piece of the monument. During the battle Pichu's Ukulele was broken. The Pokemon left Rasp Cavern to seek out the man who could fix it. **

* * *

"Pichu! Pichu! Pichu!" Pichu bounced up and down as Booker looked at the damaged ukulele he brought back with him.

"All right. All right already. I've got it so just claim down a little bit."

Ben and the others came inside the house. "Booker? Did Pichu come back?"

"Oh, Ben! I was so worried about you."

Ralph ran up to him. "Booker! They broke Pichu's ukulele!"

"Pichu!" the Pokemon cried.

"I see that." Booker replied looking at the damaged instrument. "Pichu's been askin' me to fix it."

"Can it be done?" Fei asked.

"Hmm? Who are you?"

"This is Fei. She's a friend of ours." Ami said. "But anyway, the ukulele?"

"I'd love to fix it right away. But you need material with good straight grain to fix that ukulele. It's hard to find and it's only available on Dolce Island. I hid it in a tricky place…"

"I can go get it for you." Nick said. "Since everyone seems to be occupied…"

"You should really be occupied helpin' me build boats…But I'll leave it to you, Nick. The material that can fix the ukulele is hid in a hollow tree trunk."

"I got it! If I see that bad bunch in Dolce Island, and I get caught because of my bad luck and get bound with ropes a smidgeon on the tight side…"

Everyone in the room sighed. "Another one of your daydreams, or should I say "day-nightmares," huh?" Booker asked. "Ben, will you help him? I'd be too worried to send Nick alone."

"Sure."

"Ami and I can come with you." Takumi said.

"I'm sure I'll be just fine…" Nick said.

"Then what was with the day-nightmare just now?" Terriermon asked.

"Well…It's not a bad idea to go with a Pokemon Ranger. Will you come with me?"

"Sure. I'll make it a Quest." Ben said pressing buttons on his Styler.

"Quest?" Ami asked.

"Shorter, missions. Means of helping people with their troubles."

"No offense, but your job is starting to sound like a video game." Takumi shrugged.

"Outside the house is a pier. There's a fisherman there who owns one of my boats. Ask him and he'll take you to Dolce Island." Booker said.

"Ralph, Fei, you guys wait here." Takumi said. "We'll be back soon."

"Good luck." Ralph waved.

* * *

"We're here at Dolce Island. Take care."

"Thanks." Ben replied to the fisherman as he got out of the boat. "Okay, let's get to work gang."

"So, Nick. Do you know where this tree trunk is?" Ami asked.

"Er…I've only been here a few times…mostly getting chased by the Pokemon here."

"Why am I not surprised?" Terriermon asked.

"I think I saw a tree trunk back where we first met Pichu." Takumi said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ben asked walking towards the stairs, leading up the cliffside. "Let's go."

* * *

Together they walked over to the tree. "There it is." Ben said.

"That must be the tree trunk the boss was talking about!" Nick said running over to it. "I'll go get it. Just wait and watch my back. If there's a horrible trap inside the trunk, and the trap turns out to be some sticky odd fluid, and I touch it out of curiosity with my toe despite my gut instinct-

"Will you just go already?!" Terriermon growled.

"R-right." Nick took a few steps away from the trunk. "What's required here is not imagination, but…the ability to jump! Here I go!" With a running start he leapt into the trunk. "How did you like my jump? Wasn't it something?"

"Stay focused down there, Nick." Takumi replied.

"Right. Let's see…where is the material to fix the ukulele…? Here it is! Guys, I found it…Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Palmon asked.

"What am I feeling around my feet? Rather rough…"

"It's your imagination again." Ben sighed. "Just climb back up here and let's-

"ARRRRRGH!" Nick jumped out of the tree. Six Sunkern popped out, with angry faces.

"SUN!"

"Holy-Nick, what the heck did you do?!" Takumi asked as he and his friends were surrounded.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"

"Capture on!" Ben shot his Styler at the Pokemon. "You guys try to distract them, so I can focus and catching one at a time!"

"Got it!" Takumi nodded. "Terriermon!"

"Palmon!"

"Terrier Tornado!" Terriemon shot a Tornado into two of them, flinging them into the air.

"Crescent Leaf!" Palmon scratched them with her thorns and knocked two more into a tree. Ben's Styler looped around the remaining two with incredible speed. Then he lopped it around the two Palmon attacked. Finally, he lopped the two Terriermon attacked as they came down. As they slowly got up, their faces looked calm.

"There!"

"Phew…I'm glad they finally calmed down. It seems I stepped on them while they were taking a nap in the tree trunk." Nick sighed.

"That does look like a good place for a nap." Palmon admitted.

"Sunkern…Sorry to disturb your nap." Nick said.

The Pokemon slowly floated away. "Whew! Glad that's taken care of." Ami said. "Still got the material?"

"Yeah." Nick nodded. "Now we- Right when he spoke a vine zoomed in and slapped him in face. Nick was flung into the tree trunk and immediately knocked out.

"Nick!"

Everyone saw a green plant with a pointy noise and two long tentacles jump from the trees. "A Vegimon!" Palmon said. "It must have heard the Sunkern and came running!"

"It's a Champion Level!" Ami said. "Takumi, we need Gargomon!"

"Right!" The boy slid his goggles over his eyes and extended his hand towards his partner. "Terriermon, Digivolve!"

"Terriermon Digivolve to…huh?"

Takumi looked at his hand. Neither it nor his goggles glowed yellow like they did before. "What? It isn't working!"

Vegimon, swatted Terriermon who flew into Takumi. Then Palmon, and then Ben. All three were knocked to the ground. It then stormed over towards Palmon only for Ami to run in between them. "Leave her alone!"

"A-Ami! Get away!"

Palmon's warnings were in vain. Vegimon, flung its long, slim arms at Ami. The girl yelped as they wrapped around her, ensnaring her arms, pinning them against her sides. She screamed as it squeezed the air out of her while trying to break free.

"Let her go!" Palmon jumped towards the Vegimon, who spotted her and opened its mouth.

"Gia Element!" It shot a green sphere at Palmon, hitting it in mid-air, before it dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Palmon!" Suddenly Ami's goggles started to glow green. Vegimon shrieked as it let her go in order to shield its eyes with its arms. Ami then looked at her hand. It was glowing green as well. "Huh?"

"That's exactly what happened to Takumi…" Ben said sitting up.

"Maybe…I can…" Ami put her goggles over her eyes and held her hand out to Palmon. Text appeared on a screen in front of her.

DIGIVOLUTION

As soon as Ami touched the screen it turned green. A green light flashed from it to Palmon. A blue shell formed around her. "Palmon Digivolve to…" The shell exploded showing a tall cactus with red boxing gloves. "Togamon!"

Ami stared in awe at her Digimon. "You did it…you Digivolved into your Champion level!"

Vegimon launched its arm at Togamon, but she caught it in her hand and pulled Vegimon to it, then punched it in the face. Then when it was sent flying Togamon pulled it back, then punched it again. It continued the assault ten more cycles.

"Whoa…" Ben said. "That's a heck of an evolution."

Togaman then threw Vegimon into the air. "Needle Spray!" Pins shot out of her body and slashed through the Digimon. Once the storm of needles ended in dropped to the ground and turned into shards.

"They did It! ...now what?" Terriermon asked.

"Well…let's see if it'll happen again." Ami said holding out her hand. The shards flew into it. Then in a flash of light Togamon turned back into Palmon.

"Aww…well, it was fun while it lasted." The Digimon sighed.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" Ami asked.

"Yeah. My Styler's energy can take the damage when I get hit." Ben said getting up.

"I couldn't get Terriermon to Digivolve…but this time Ami Digivolved Palmon…" Takumi said. "What is going on here?"

Ben walked over to Nick and started to shake his shoulder. "Yo, Nick, up and at em!"

The shipbuilder shot up into a sitting position. "AAAH! THE UFO'S ARE ATTACKING WITH THEIR GIANT JIGGLYPUFFS!"

"Go figure. The only things scarier than your daydreams are your real dreams."

"Huh? What happened?" Nick asked looking around.

"Nothing." Ben said helping him up. "You still got the material?"

"Yup. That sure seemed like a life or death adventure for me! I'm glad we've got the material to fix the ukulele. If I carry it, though, it might take up all my attention, and I may not talk much, which could cause tension between you and me…I'd certainty want to avoid that. Ranger, will you carry it for me?"

Ben smiled and rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. Give me the materials."

"Thanks. Let's go to the boss's house. I'm sure we'll see Pichu's happy face."

* * *

"Hey, did you guys see that?" Ami asked.

Takumi turned to her as they walked. "See what?"

Nick looked at Renbow Island in the distance. "I saw it too! The Wireless Tower on Renbow Island over there just flashed a couple of times!"

"Wireless Tower?"

Nick pointed over to the Island. A tower could be seen in the distance. "You see that over there? The building near the submit, do you see it? That's the Wireless Tower on . I just saw something flash around its antenna…"

"I saw it too." Ami said. "There!"

A light started to blink on the tower. "Yeah, I see it." Ben said. "What's it about?"

Nick's eyes widened. "Oh, no! Could it be…" everyone groaned before Nick continued. "that my boss is angry because I'm still here, and he climbed up the Wireless Tower antenna to give me a scolding with signals using a mirror or something…"

"If it meant he was gonna be quiet you should have made him carry the materials." Takumi said turning to Ben.

"Oh, what am I doing? I started thinking negative again. It's a bad habit of mine. I can go on endlessly, so please do not hesitate to stop me when it happens."

"Stop." Everyone said in sync.

"Come on. Let's just hurry and get this material delivered." Ben said.

* * *

Ralph smiled instantly when Ben and the others returned. "You're back!

"Pichu!" the Pokmeon jumped. It immediately hurried to Ben. "Pichu! Picchu!"

"Hello to you to, Pichu!" Ben smiled. "Here you are Booker." He said handing him the material. He then performed his Ranger pose. "Quest Clear!"

"Do you have to do that every time?" Fei asked in annoyance. "What do you gain from doin' all this posin' anyway?"

"What? All Rangers do that! Anyway, I can normally upgrade my Styler as I complete more quests and missions, but it looks like that part of it is still broken from when I fell into the sea."

"Hey, Booker. Can't you fix the Styler just like the ukulele?" Ralph asked.

"I'm no good with computers and fancy electronic thingamabobs. Thanks for your hard work, y'all." Booker said. "Well then, let's fix this here ukulele. Nick. Would you like to give it a try?"

"Is that okay?! I'd love to do it!"

"This will take a little while to repair."

"In that case, I think I'll go patrol in the village." Ben said. "There might be others who need my help. Especially after what happened earlier with the Pinchers."

"I'll go with you." Takumi said. "Helping people in need is kinda my thing."

"Same here." Ami smiled.

"I can guide you around Cocona Village!" Ralph said.

"Thanks." Ben smiled. "Let's go."

Ben, Takumi, Ami and Ralph only stepped outside the house before they were called. "Oh! A Ranger! Perfect timing!"

"Hm?" Ben turned to see a young man around his age. "Hey there. Need something?"

"There is something I would like you to see. Could you come to the plaza at the west of the village?" The man asked, before hurrying on ahead.

"I wonder what that could be?" Ralph said.

"Let's take a look." Takumi said walking towards the Village.

* * *

A young man dressed in blue looked in the direction of the Wireless Tower. "Well, that's unusual."

A purple creature with a round head, big eyes and a creepy smile walked next to him. "Looks like we might find something up there."

"My thoughts exactly pal. Heh. It's good to have you back."

* * *

In the plaza one of the two pillars in front of a gate that was covered in greenery started to glow. A good number of villagers were gathered around it.

"Now I've seen everything..." A man sighed. "The stone of time is glowing."

Ben and the others approached it. "What is that?!" Ralph asked. "I've never seen anything like it!"

The young man that called them over was the first to notice. "Oh good. The Ranger's here! This suddenly started glowing a little while ago. What could be causing it?"

"How should we know?" Ami asked. "We all just got to this region."

"Huh…" Ben walked up to it. He slowly reached a hand towards the light.

"Uh, Ben? I wouldn't advise touching it." Takumi said.

Suddenly the light flew out of the pillar and made a sound. "EEEEEEEK!" Ralph and All the woman in the crowd ran toward the village. Then it flew to the left of Ben.

"AAAAAAHGH!" All the men ran to the forest. Only Ben, Takumi, Ami and their Digimon remained.

"I told you!"

Suddenly the light turned into a Pokemon. "Biii!"

Ben stared in awe. "Is that…the legendary Celebi?!"

"Biiii!"

Ami stepped forward. "Ben, look out!"

The Ranger jumped back as pillars of thorns rose up. "Ben!" Just when Takumi and Ami ran towards them, Celebi rose a series of pillars around Ben, trapping him in a makeshift arena.

It shot leaves at Ben who rolled out of the way. "Capture on!" he shot his Styler at it and began swinging his arm around, making int loop Celebi repeatedly. It shot leaves at the Styler, but he pulled it away, maneuvering it around the attacks, while dodging the pillars it rose at it. After a few minutes Celebi stopped attacking. "There. Did I catch it? No…it seemed more like it was testing me…"

Celebi stared intently at Ben. "Biiiiiii!" A bright light engulfed Celebi.

"Huh? AH!" Ben shielded his eyes as he was swallowed by it.

Takumi and Ami could only wait outside. "What do you think is going on over there?" Ami asked. Just then the thorns sank back into the ground. But Celebi and Ben were nowhere to be seen.

"What the-what happened to Ben?!" Terriermon asked.

"Oh crud…" Takumi groaned.

* * *

"WHOA!" Ben dropped to the ground from the sphere of light with Celebi close behind. As soon as he got up, he took a look around him. It looked like the plaza he was just in. Only it looked more…in place. The stones looked like they were just carved. Moss and plants weren't covering anything. Celebi circled around him in delight. "What the…where am I?"

"Hey, Celebi! Are you making mischief again? Who is this person?" Ben turned to his left to see a young boy with white shorts and a blue shirt. Celebi flew over to him. "Bi!" It then led the boy over to Ben. "You look…Very interesting. I've never seen cloths like that before."

"I was about to tell you the same thing." Ben muttered.

The boy's eyes widened. "Wait! Did you…come here by Celebi's Time Travel?"

"Wait, what?"

"Did you…come from another time?"

Ben's eyes widened. "Wait…don't tell me…is this…the past?"

"Bi!"

"I've heard that Celebi could travel through time but…I wasn't sure it could be true."

"Me neither." The boy said before turning to the Pokemon. "Celebi, why did you do that? You need to take this person back to the right time!"

"Yeah, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I kind of have a problem I need to get back to where I'm from! Or is it when I'm from? Whatever, the point is, I need to go back!"

"Hold on. Can you wait for a while?"

"Huh?"

The boy turned to Ben. "My name is Ravio. This sometimes mischievous one is called Celebi. It's my friend."

"So, it brought me to the past for a laugh?" Ben asked. "Most people pop balloons in front of someone trying to sleep for their pranks."

"By the way, what's you name?" Ravio asked. "Where did you come from? What do you do? Do I ask too many questions?"

"Uh…my name is Ben, I came from Almia, and I'm a Pokemon Ranger on a Mission in Oblivia. I was in Cocona Village before your friend sent me here."

"So, your name is Ben? You take care of Missions as a Pokemon Ranger…? I don't have a clue what you're saying. But I think I can say this…Did you say you came from Cocona Village? Well this place is called Cocona Plaza. You may come from a different time, but I think we are standing at the same place as this village."

"I was thinking the same thing…"

"Ben…It scares me to think of knowing the future…But could you tell me more about Pokemon Rangers?"

"I…guess." Ben replied sitting down, cross legged. Ravio did the same. "A Pokemon Ragner, protects the people, Pokemon, and nature of the world we live in. We use these Capture Stylers to perform captures on Pokemon to borrow their abilities in our Missions."

"…Capture? Really? Can you get help from Pokemon, just like the temple oracles…?"

"I…guess?"

"Are you sure? Did you become friends with Celebi, Ben? Then can you tell Celebi to stop its mischief? It even brought you here for no reason, it seems. It should know better…We are right in front of our temples…"

"Temples?" Ben looked where Ravio was facing. There was a wooden gate with some kind of face.

"When you go through Teakwood Forest, there are several temples. These temples were built to honor a Pokemon called Arceus."

"The legendary Pokemon Arceus? It exists?"

"Yup. At least from what I'm told. All those temples are protected by the friendship between Pokemon and the temple oracles."

"I see…"

"Ben, can you forgive Celebi for being mischievous?"

"Sure."

As they stood up, Ravio turned to his Pokemon friend. "Celebi…You need to take Ben back to the right time!"

"Bi…" the Pokemon said looking down sadly.

"See you, Ben." Ravio said before thinking about the situation. "I guess we won't see each other again…Take care."

"Same to you."

The Pokemon's eyes glowed. Ben was engulfed in another bright light and disappeared.

* * *

"What do you mean he's gone?!" Ralph asked. Shortly after Celebi took Ben away, the villagers had returned. Takumi and Ami were explaining what happened.

"I have no idea where he went." Ami said.

"Calm down, let's just look around." Takumi said. "Maybe we'll find something around here that'll-

Suddenly a bright light flashed in front of them. Ben dropped down in front of Takumi and Ami. "Ben!" Ralph smiled as he ran up to the Ranger.

"Oh, thank goodness." Ami sighed.

"I was so surprised when that light suddenly started moving." A man said.

"I have no idea what just happened." another young man shrugged.

"I'm just so glad you're safe…" Ralph said. Ben was looking around him, confirming that he made it back.

"What happened to you?" Takumi asked. "When those thorns dropped, you and that Pokemon were gone."

Ben looked away. "Nothing."

"Nothing?! That's all you can say?"

"Don't leave us hanging, man!" Terriermon groaned.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go check on Pichu."

"Oh! That's right! I'll bet Pichu's ukulele is almost finished." Ralph said. "Let's go back to Booker's house."

Ben and Ralph walked back towards the village. Takumi and Ami exchanged confused glances before following. Unknown to everyone a figure with a hooded cloak stepped out from behind the stone of time.

* * *

**Ho boy...the multiplayer missions...I plan on covering those in due time for this story, just not for a while. As for Quests, I'll say it again, those are getting their own sepreate story with the exeption of this one since it's mandatory for the plot and a few others.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Sunken UFO

**After a scuffle with a few Pokemon and a Digimon that lead to Palmon temporarly Digivolving into Togamon, The Cyber Slueths and Ben returned with the matirial to fix Pichu's Ukulele. While Booker went to work, they encountered a Pokemon nammed Celebi, that sent Ben to the past where he met a boy nammed Ravio. Afte returning to the preasent day, the party went back to Booker's house, to check on his progress. **

* * *

Ben and his friends walked inside Booker's house. "Welcome back, Y'all." The shipbuilder waved. "We just finished fixin' the ukulele."

"Pichu!" the yellow Pokemon in the room jumped for joy.

Booker laughed as he walked over to it. "Here ya go, Pichu. Your precious ukulele."

Pichu turned around so the man could secure the instrument to his back. "Pichu! Pichu! Pichu!" the yellow Pokemon bounced all over the room prompting everyone to laugh. As soon as he settled down it played a small melody with his instrument.

"Sounds as good as it looks!" Ami beamed.

"I'm so happy for you, Pichu!" Ralph smiled.

"Hey, Pichu. We fixed it thanks to Ben, Nick, Ami, Takumi, Terriormon and Palmon's hard work. Be sure to thank 'em okay?" Booker said.

The Pokemon stopped playing and turned to his new friends with a smile. "Pichuu!"

"By the by, Ben, about what to do next…You're goin' after those Pinchers, or whatever they are, right?"

"That's the plan." The Ranger replied with a nod.

"And that's what we're doing too." Takumi said.

"It's too bad you were separated from your partner, but there's one Area Ranger on this Island. His name is Rand."

"This whole island is only guarded by one man?" Palmon asked. "He must be busy."

"You should go meet him as soon as possible."

"Sounds like a plan." Ben nodded. "Hopefully he knows a thing or two about repairing Stylers."

Booker's eyes lite up with a thought. "Come to think of it, Rand has a daughter who loves to tinker with machines. Maybe she can fix it."

"How about that? My luck's finally beginning to turn."

"Maybe they've seen Nokia and the others. Where do we find this Rand?" Takumi asked.

"His house is to the east past Lapras Beach and a forest."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Terriormon asked. "Let's go!"

"I'm going to." Fei said stepping forward. "I'd like a crack at these goons myself. And we still need to find Yuugo and Yuuko."

"That makes two of us." FanBeemon added, standing next to her.

"Okay. Booker, Nick, Ralph, thank you for everything." Ben smiled.

"See you later!" Nick smiled.

"See you later, everyone!" Ralph waved. Ben and the others walked out the door.

"Pi…Pichu!" the yellow Pokemon ran towards the door, to Nick, Ralph and Booker's surprise.

"What's the matter, Pichu?" the boy asked.

"Looks like Pichu wants to go on an adventure with those youngsters." Booker said, stroking his beard.

"Pichu!" The Pokemon nodded before heading out.

Outside, Ben and the others stepped off the deck. "So first we pass through a beach, huh?" Takumi asked.

"Yup. Who knows, maybe we'll bump into more of your friends." Ben said. "But in the mean time we-

"PICHU!"

Everyone was startled as they saw the ukulele player run down to the deck. It ran a couple of laps around Ben before stopping in front of him. "Huh? Something wrong?" the Ranger asked.

"Hold on there, Ben!" Booker hurried down the steps. "Ben! This just popped into my head, but…Little Ukulele Pichu might be thinkin' that if it works with you, it might be able to save its friends."

"Hey, come to think of it…" Takumi said. "Didn't you mention something about each Ranger having a Partner Pokemon that stays with them? Why not make that, Pichu here?"

Ben looked at the hopeful and exited look on Pichu's face. "Well…I don't see why not."

"So, it's settled." Booker smiled. "Isn't that great, Pichu?"

"Pichu!"

Ben laughed as Pichu jumped onto his shoulder.

"The music Pichu plays mysteriously reaches the hearts of other Pokemon. In other words, it can help you with captures." Booker said.

"Cool! That'll come in handy! I'm counting on ya, partner!" Ben smirked.

"I'll miss you, but it's time to go. Don't cause Ben any trouble now, okay?"

"Pichu!"

"Okay, It's time for you to get goin'. Be sure to find Ukulele Pichu's friends."

"Leave it to us!" Ben smiled before he turned back to his friends. "Come on gang!"

They started their march down the beach. "So, what's having a Partner Pokemon like?" Ami asked.

"I dunno. Never had one to call my own until now. Bet it's like having your Digimon."

"I guess." Takumi said.

Then they heard someone else. "Because I said so. That's why! I'm asking you to have Lapras pull it up."

"Yeah! It can swim, right?"

"What's that about?" Ben asked looking ahead. They saw a little girl with blue hair and a lab coat and a red-haired teen with a pink coat arguing with a girl with a spikey pony tail. In the water near them was a blue Pokemon with a long neck and a grey shell.

"Even Lapras can't go into the depths of the ocean."

Two short creatures stood next to the taller girl. A blue furred one with a horn and an orange one with claws. The girl dropped her angry expression. "Really? Hmmm…that's a problem."

"Nokia?!"

Takumi and Ami ran up to their friend. The girl whirled around at the sight of them. "Takumi! Ami! Oh! Even Fei is here! I was so worried about you guys!"

"Heh. That's my line. I'm glad to see you're safe Nokia!" Takumi smiled.

The creatures turned around next. "Oh, hi guys! It's been a while!" the orange one said.

Terriormon ran up to them. "Agumon! Gabumon! How's it going?"

"Great!" the horned Digimon replied. "We got worried when we found ourselves on this beach, but we ran into Nokia!"

The blue haired girl ran up to Terriermon. "Did you just talk?! Oh wait, are you one of those Digimon, like Nokia's here?"

"Yup!" Nokia nodded. "Takumi, Ami, I bet you're happy to see your little helpers again!"

"You bet!" Takumi nodded. "Investigating hasn't been the same without them."

"I bet! I knew I'd see Agumon and Gabumon again!" Nokia laughed and looked at the one next to Fei. "I don't think I've seen this one before though."

"I'm FanBeemon."

Nokia turned to the blue-haired girl and Nixie. "Oh, right! Let me introduce you two. This is Takumi and his sister Ami! And this is Fei."

"Is this one of your friends?" Ben asked, glancing at Takumi and Ami.

"Yup. Ben, meet Nokia. Nokia, this is Ben." Ami said. "He's what they call a Pokemon Ranger around here!"

"Pokemon Ranger? You mean like Rand?" the girl asked.

"You know Rand?" Ben asked.

"Yup! He and his family took me in after I was left wondering around! And guess what? They already found, Kyoko, Mr. Matayoshi and Date!"

"They're here too?!" Takumi asked.

"Hold on a second!" the younger girl said looking at Ben. "You're a Pokemon Ranger?"

"Yup. I was sent from Almia."

"This is the first time I've ever seen another Ranger besides Papa in the Oblivia region."

"His uniform looks different." Agumon noted.

"Wait, are you talking about Rand? Are you his-

The girl interrupted Takumi and had a thought. "Hey! Are you good at swimming? Can you open your eyes under water? Can you deal with things with salt in them?"

"Whoa, whoa! One question at a time!" Ben said nervously. _"First Ravio, now this. What's with kids and their curiosity?"_

"Can you dive into the ocean with those goggles?"

"Sure. I have my Aqualung with me, so I can breath, down there."

"Wow! Perfect timing!" Nokia smiled. "Then can ya do us a little favor?"

"One of those UFO's fell into the Ocean." The girl said.

"UFO's? The things those Pinchers were ridding?" Fei asked.

"I reeeeally want to examine it. Could you find it and pull it up for me? You have to, 'cause on this island there is a rule that you must grant up to three wishes of any girl who is younger than you. This is the first of those three requests!"

"You could have sounded less pushy. He's not a genie." Ami sighed. "But it would be sweet if we could get our hands on one of those things. Might learn more about the bad guys from it."

"Not only that…" Takumi said. "But won't that thing pollute the water with oil or something?"

Ben's Styler lite up. **"Affirmative. There is a danger of an oil leak polluting the water. We should probably investigate the UFO that sank into the ocean."**

"Alrighty then." Ben said performing his Ranger Pose. "I'm on it!"

The blue haired girl squealed. "Your Styler can talk?! That's different than Papa's. I'm really fascinated by things like that."

Nokia then turned to the girl with a pony tail. "Nixie, right? Can Ben ride on Lapras?"

"If Lapras doesn't respect you, it won't let you ride, Ranger or not."

"What? Come on!"

"That's not a problem." Ben said stepping forward. He pointed his Styler at it. "Right, Partner?"

"Pichu!" Pichu jumped off of Ben and started to play his ukulele. As music filled the air, Ben whirled the disc around Lapras a few times. Soon its eyes were claim.

"Lapraa!"

"Nice!" Ben said reaching his hand down. Pichu gave him a high five with his little hand.

"Wow! Cute friend you got there!" Nokia smiled. "And it plays music!"

"These Pokemon are full of surprises." Agumon said.

Nixie looked at Ben. "Since Lapras likes you, there's no problem. Lapras knows where the UFO crashed, so it can take you to that area."

"If I'm going under water, I'll have to go alone." Ben said. "You guys wait here."

"Be carful in there." Ami said.

"Okay, thanks for going to salvage the UFO! I'll watch your Pichu for you." The girl said.

Nixie turned to the blue Pokemon. "Thanks, Lapras." Ben jumped onto it's back and it drifted away, further and further from his friend's sight. "I hope he'll be okay." Nixie said. "There's been a rumor about a strange Pokemon in the water lately."

"Strange how?" Ami asked.

Lapras stopped in the middle of the ocean. Ben's Styler booted up. **"A metal object has been detected on the seafloor around this area."**

"Okay." Ben said, putting on his goggles and hanging his legs over Lapras' shell. "Here we-

"**Warning! Unknown Pokemon approaching fast!"**

"Huh?"

A blue serpent with a yellow head rose from the water. It loomed down on Ben and Lapras, as it let out a mighty roar. Back on the beach Takumi gapped. "A Seadramon?! What's it doing here!?"

The beast knocked, Ben off of Lapras with its tail and wrapped it around the Pokemon. It let out a screech as its body was trapped. "They need our help!" Ami said. "Takumi, we need to Digivolve Terriormon and Palmon!"

"Ugh, did we not go through this already?! We don't even know _how _to!"

"And even if we Digivolve, then what?" Palmon asked. "I can't swim in Rookie or Champion form!"

"Me neither!" Terriormon added.

Fei sighed. "For crying out loud." She then stepped towards the ocean.

"Huh? Fei!? What are you doing?!" Nokia asked.

"What's it look like? If you guys are just gonna sit around, arguin' I'm gonna have to take action myself!"

Nixie was sceptical. "Hold on, are you nuts?! You want to fight that thing in the water with your bare hands!?"

"Maybe I do. Got a better idea?"

"Argh…! If only we could become Omnimon!" Gabumon grumbled.

"Yeah! We'd teach that overgrown water snake a lesson!" Agumon added.

"Wait, Fei! I can fly! I'll go!" FanBeemon said.

"Then I'm going with ya." Fei said.

"Guys, think this through!" Takumi said.

"We don't have the time!" FanBeemon retorted.

"Yeah! I'm done waiting around!" Fei growled. Suddenly something glowed in her pocket. "Huh?" She took out her handheld Digivice. It glowed a bright blue. "What's this?"

"Your Digivice is glowing." Nokia said.

Takumi had a thought. "Wait…could it be? Fei! Point it at FanBeemon!"

"Huh? Alright." FanBeemon stared into the light. A text appeared on a screen blue screen in front of Fei.

DIGIVOLUTION

Once Fei touched the screen out of curiosity, and the color of blue shifted to the shade of the light from her Digivice. The screen shined a light over to FanBeemon as a shell formed around her. "FanBeemon Digivolve to…" As the shell burst, she became a giant bee Digimon with red eyes, massive shoulders and a large stinger. "Waspmon!"

Fei looked at it in amazement. "Whoa! How did it do that?!"

"That thing was…FanBeemon?" Ami asked.

"Nice! If you're a Champion level, you should stand a chance against Seadramon!" Takumi smiled.

"Leave it to me!" Waspmon flew over to Seadramon and rammed into its head. The surprised serpent let go of Lapras.

Ben looked up to see the giant wasp. "Whoa! What the heck?!"

"Ben, get Lapras a bit further back! I'll handle this!"

"FanBeemon? Man, and I thought Palmon's evolution was a drastic change." Ben said, swimming to the Pokemon.

"Ice Arrow!" Seadramon fired a freezing blast at Waspmon, who dodged it with ease. She moved in multiple directions at a rapid rate, confusing its opponent.

"Whoa! Not only is she bigger, but she's faster!" the blue-haired girl said. "This is SO cool!"

Waspmon then got behind its opponent. "Turbo Stinger!" She shot blue needle shaped blasts from her stinger. All shots hit Seadramon all over, and soon it exploded in blue shards.

They zipped over the water and flew into Fei's Digivice. "This is what happened to that other Digimon…weird."

"Hey, Takumi…" Ami whispered. "Do you think FanBeemon might be…?"

"Yeah. I was wounding the same thing."

Back in the ocean Ben leaned his legs over Lapras. "Thanks for the help."

"I'll wait up here with Lapras. Bring that UFO up and I'll help carry it to shore." Waspmon said.

"Got it." Ben dove into the water. Once he was under the surface he looked around.

"**The detected metal object is at a greater depth."**

"Alrighty then." Ben went deeper in. After a few seconds he found a metallic object resting against a rock.

"**Confirmed a very large metal object."**

"I can see that." Ben said as he swam towards it. But something pushed him back.

"**The current is too strong. Proceeding is impossible as is. Find some way to stop the current."**

"Stop it how? What kind of- Ben then noticed a tall rocky formation to the left. The bubbly stream came out of it. At the top a he saw a part of the rock that looked ready to come lose. Ben smirked to himself. "That'll work. Now I just need to find a Pokemon for the job…" He looked at the Pokemon around him. He shot his Styler at them, catching a Lovdick, a a Chinchou and a Mantyke. "No. None of these will do." Then his eye caught a peculiar shaped piece of coral. "Ah, ha! Hiding from me, are ya?" He looped the Styler around the Corsola until it showed it's face to him. "Hi there!" Ben waved. "Sorry to disturb you but can you do me a quick favor?"

He guided it to the crumbling wall. "COR!" It charged into the rock, bringing it down in front of the hole with the stream.

"Thanks!" Ben said, waving the Pokemon as it left happily. He swam over to the UFO. A Clamperl and Horsea that were examining it, noticed Ben and swam over to him.

"Voice Nav. How bad is the damage?" Ben asked.

"**Unable to detect any seawater pollution as a result of an oil leak. The reason the Pokemon are aggressive seems to be the surprise from when the vehicle fell into the ocean."**

Both Pokemon shot bubbles at Ben, knocking him back. "Whoa! Lovdick! Mantyke!" Two of Ben's Pokemon shot watery projectiles back Ben quickly looped his Styler around them repeatedly until they calmed down. "There." Ben sighed as they left. "Now for-

"KING!"

Suddenly an angry Kingdra came up from below, and summoned a whirlwind, knocking the UFO lose, making it sink further before following it. "Oh, come on, I can't catch a break!"

"**Kingdra has taken the fallen vehicle somewhere. At this rate there is a real danger that an oil leak will occur."**

"Great. I'd better get after that thing before any major damage hits the ocean." Ben hurried after it.

"**Kingdra seems to be very agitated. Be carful of it's bubble attacks."**

Once Kingdra saw Ben approach from behind, it shot large bubbles from it's mouth. The Ranger swerved left and right, dodging them while continuing to move after it. Panicking, Kingdra shot whirlpools in his direction. The first one, sent Ben back a bit but her regained composure and continued after it. Once Ben caught it, it dropped the UFO and swam away. Ben watched as it sunk into a dark area. "Oh, come ON! Really?!"

"**The metal object has been separated from Kingdra and is currently falling toward the ocean floor."**

"Swell. Chinchou!"

The Pokemon's antenna lite up, allowing Ben to see as he continued. He kept going down until he saw a red light glowing in the darkness. "There! Is that it?" He swam towards it cautiously. Then the metallic object came into sight. "Finally!" he groaned lifting it up. "Now to get this thing back to-

"**Danger! Danger!"**

"Ugh, now what!? Pinchers? Another Digimon? Or maybe Kyogre came to spite me this time!"

"**The Sharpedo are attacking in order to defend their territory."**

Two shark-like Pokemon charged at Ben with their jaws.

"YAGH!"

* * *

Back at the beach Takumi paced back and forth. "What is taking him so long?"

"Shouldn't you guys go after him?" Nokia asked.

"Don't look at us! We didn't bring scuba diving gear!" Ami replied.

Just then Ben came up with the UFO. "That took you longer then I thought." Waspmon said.

"Just help me carry this thing."

Once the two of them and Lapras got the shore, Waspon changed back to FanBeemon. "Wow. That was odd."

"I'll say." Fei nodded. "Looks like my Digivice powered you up."

"What happened to you?" Takumi asked, Ben, who was still a tad pale. "You look like a shark was after you down there."

"Don't even talk about sharks, okay?"

"So, this is the UFO?" Nokia asked. "Kinda looks like scooter."

The blue-haired girl looked at it. "So apparently, this isn't of extraterrestrial origin. Besides if you look here…it says "Z.Z. Flyer 08."

"Z.Z. Flyer? Sounds like a bad song Jikemen came up with." Terriermon shrugged.

"What happened to it, and how did it end up down there?" Agumon asked.

"I'm willing to bet it had something to do with Riakou." Palmon replied.

"Riakou? The legendary Pokemon?" the Nixie asked.

"PICHU!" Everyone turned to see Ben's partner glare at it.

"Pichu? Something wrong buddy?" Ben asked.

Pichu stomped over to the machine and jumped on it angerly. "Yikes. Someone doesn't like these things." Gabumon shuddered.

"Pi! Chu!" the Pokemon growled jumping off of it.

"Thank you for listening to my request, Ranger!" the girl smiled. "Thank you too, Lapras!"

"Lapraa!"

"Hey, Ranger! Even if it was just a request, you did keep the ocean from getting polluted. This is defiantly a Mission Clear, isn't it? So how about doing one of those for me?"

"Oh, boy. Here it comes." Takumi, Ami, and Fei groaned simultaneously.

Ben nodded and performed his Ranger Pose. "Mission Clear!" Pichu strung his ukulele.

"Your Ranger pose is more like a rock star's than my papa's pose. Oh! That reminds me! I still haven't introduced myself, have I? My name's Nema! You're Ben, right? What brings you to the Oblivia Region?"

"I was sent to protect this place from a criminal outfit called the Pokemon Pinchers. I ran into these guys after falling into the ocean."

"Actually, we were on our way to meet Rand." Ami said.

"What? You want to meet my papa? Sheesh! Why didn't you tell me that sooner? I'll take you to my house." Nema said as she turned to walk to the side of the beach. "Oh! That's right! Help me carry the Z.Z. Flyer to my house, okay? That's my second request."

"As you can see, the tide's out right now." Nixie said. "So, you can walk to Nema's house."

"Yup! It's right outside the forest up ahead." Nokia smiled. "Aaaaaaaaalright! Let's go!"

"You'll have to excuse her." Ami smiled as Nokia ran off. "She's always like that."

"Ho boy." Ben sighed walking towards the Z.Z. Flyer.

Takumi then put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll handle it. You look like you've been through enough." He walked over the machine and hulled it up.

Ben smiled. "Thanks."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Takumi grunted as he followed.

Ben thought to himself as he walked with them. _"It's kinda cool, working with this many people. Reminds me of missions with Summer…Summer…please be alright wherever you are…"_

* * *

Summer was still lying down on the cold, hard floor, tied up and blindfolded. She had no idea where she was or how much time had passed since her arrival. She was scared. What will happen to her? What happened to her Staraptor? What about Ben?

She would resume struggling every now and then when she got scared from her thoughts, with the hope of at least loosening the ropes, but the stiff bonds kept her arms and legs restrained. This time she stopped her struggles when she heard footsteps. Someone was coming.

"Hey, our leader says we're running out of room for storing Pokemon, so we're keeping our two hostages in the same place."

"Alright."

The guards opened the door and someone was shoved in. Summer couldn't see her, but it was a girl dreased in black and white. A white cloth was tied over her eyes and her wrists were tied behind her back. The Pinchers forcing her inside tied her legs together in three places as they did Summer's before pushing her over. She yelped as she fell to the ground.

Summer waited for the door to shut and the footsteps to disappear before speaking. "Hello…? Is someone there?"

Her new roommate didn't answer at first.

"My name is Summer. Summer Minami. I'm a Pokemon Ranger."

"Pokemon…? Those strange creatures I saw?"

"Huh?" Summer was getting gradually more confused. "Who are you?"

The girl was reluctant to answer. But gave one regardless, knowing she'd need this "Pokemon Ranger" to trust her if she were to get her help. "My name is…Yuuko. Yuuko Kamishiro."


	6. Chapter 6: The Latolato Investagation

**With Ukulele Pichu becoming Ben's Partner Pokemon, the team set out find Rand, the Area Ranger of Oblivia. Alonf the way, they met up with another of Takumi and Ami's lost friends, Nokia, along with her partner Digion and Rand's daughter Nema. The daughter of Rand requested Ben to retreive a sunken aircraft that was beliaved to belong to the mysterious Pokemon Pinchers. With the assistance of Lapras and Fei's Waspmon, the Ranger sucessfuly salvaged the machine and the party is now continuing their course for Rand's home.**

* * *

Takumi hurried as fast as he could with the Z.Z Flyer to keep up with his friends.

"You sure you don't need help?" Ben asked.

"N-nah, I got it!" the sleuth replied, trying to put on a reassuring smile.

As they approached the steps to leave the beach a boy came running down. "It's a UFO!"

Everyone watched as he ran off. "UFO?" Ami asked. "Another one of these "Z.Z. Flyers?"

"That's most likely the case." Takumi replied.

"If that's true there might be more Pinchers." Ben said. "Let's hurry!" They ran down the path but stopped at a bright flash and a roar. "Hey…That sounded like-

"Look!" Nokia pointed at a Pincher on his Z.Z Flyer as it slowly went down. It crashed with a loud thud and he slowly got off it. A woman on hers flew over to him.

"Oh, man…My whole body's tingling and my Z.Z. Flyer's busted…"

"Are you okay?" the woman asked.

"The moment I thought Raikou was glaring at me, lightning suddenly struck my Z.Z. Flyer."

The woman sighed. "Angering Raikou was a mistake."

"Not the only one you made!" Ben hollered as he hurried over to them.

"You again?!" the woman asked. "You caused us some trouble in Rasp Cavern!"

"I'm still irritated about getting a lightning bolt from Raikou." The man groaned.

"It chassed yer sorry butts all the way out here?" Fei asked.

"Yeah! And I'm gonna take it out on you!" The man pointed his Control Gauntlet at Ben. An Eevee and a Piplup came out of the trees and attacked.

"Capture on!" Ben yelled shooting his Capture Styler at them.

"What's going on?!" Nokia asked.

"Those Pinchers…" Ami said. "They use those Capture Gauntlets to enslave these Pokemon creatures. But Ben's Styler seems to be capable of snapping them out of it."

"Whaaaaat?! They abuse these cute little critters?! They're worse then bad hackers!"

By the time the conversation was finished, Ben had already released the Pincher's Pokemon. "I got hit by lightning and beaten by a Ranger. What a day!"

"Come back tomorrow and maybe a Snorlax will fall on you." Ben joked.

Suddenly everyone heard zapping and banging sounds. "Whoa! Wh-wh-wh-what was that!? Is there a thunderstorm today?!" Nokia asked.

"It's Raikou again…" the female Pincher muttered. "And it sounds really angry!"

"Well, you were the ones who made it angry!" Nema pouted.

"Yeah. It's almost like ya deserve gettin' eaten by that thing." Fei added.

"You…smarty pants! We'll be back." The man growled. He got on his Z.Z. Flyer and they flew off.

"Still, that wasn't just lighting going on back there." Ami said. "I could have sworn I heard an explosion!"

"Me too." Palmon nodded.

"Wait…" Terriormon perked his head up. "Anyone else smell smoke?"

"Uh-oh." Ben said as he ran on ahead with Nema.

"OH NO!" the girl shrieked.

The others hurried after them. Takumi, still carrying the Z.Z. Flyer, took the longest. The others had already gathered in front of a large house up ahead when he caught up. "What's going on?"

"My house is on fire! That explosion was my house!"

Takumi looked over Nema to see a small fire on the wall of the house. "Uh…barley." FanBeemon said. "Frankly with that boom, I'm surprised the damage isn't worse."

"I often cause little fires when my experiments fail, but I can't believe it happened when I wasn't home! I feel a little better because Mam and Papa are out, but…"

Nokia looked around. "Hey…Kyoko and the others aren't here either. Where did they all go?"

Nema ran up to Ben. "Hey, Ranger! This is the last of my three requests!"

"Let me guess, stop the fire?"

"And fast! At this rate, it's going to burn my whole house down!"

"Hey, wait! Maybe my partner's Terrier Tornado can blow it out!" Takumi said.

"It supposedly can do that…" Fei said.

"Great! Terriermon, let's-

"Or more realistically it can fan the flames and spread 'em faster."

Takumi sighed. "Thanks for the unwanted sarcasm Fei."

"Well we gotta do something!" Nokia said.

"I think there were some water Pokemon back there." Ben said. "You guys wait here!"

Everyone watched Ben leave. Then there was awkward silence, as nobody knew what to do or say. Ami cleared her throat. "Sooooooo, aside from this, how's everybody's day so far?"

"Oh, ya know, aside from being stranded in a bizarre world and being surrounded by jerks that pinch these cute Pokemon, fantastic!" Nokia replied.

"That's good! …I think."

Ben soon returned with a Shellos. "Here we go! Water Gun!" The pink Pokemon spat water at the flame and it faded. "Whew! That was close!" Ben said as his friend Pokemon ran off.

"Wait, YOU'RE controlling Pokemon too?!" Nokia asked.

"It's not like that." Takumi said. "Ben's Capture Styler also conveys his feelings to a wild Pokemon, to ask it for help."

"Huh? Oh. I guess that's alright then…Actually…"

"Yes?" Ben asked with a concerned look.

"THAT'S FREAKING AWSOME!" Nokia said with a stoked expression. "Showing love to a Pokemon and making it your friend with your good feelings! That's super amazing!"

"Uh…sure."

"Like I said before." Ami sighed. "Always like this. Don't get too exited, Nokia."

FWOOOM

Suddenly the fire returned. And grew even bigger then before."HUH?! Did my super hot excitement just bring back the fire?!" Nokia asked.

"Wow! You can use fire attacks!" Agumon said as he and Gabumon bounced up and down. "You're amazing Nokia!"

"Why does logic just fly right out the window with this girl around?" Fei asked.

"The fire is too strong! It won't go out!" Nema yelled. "If we don't do anything, my whole house will burn down!"

"This is gonna take more than one Pokemon." Ben said. "Be right back!"

"Wh-what are we supposed to do?!" Nokia asked.

"Just…stay here and make sure it doesn't spread any further!"

"Okay! Sure! Leave it to us!" Nokia said. After a moment of silence, she turned to her friends. "Uh, do any of you actually know what to do if it starts to spread?"

"No." They all reluctantly replied.

"Swell…Oh, wait, duh! You stop, drop and roll!"

"Umm…I'm pretty sure that's if you're _on_ fire." Takumi said.

"Oh…heh, heh. Right."

"Make, way! Coming through!" Ben hollered as he ran up to them with another Shellos and two Buizel. "Let's try this again! Triple Water Gun!" After about ten seconds of spraying, the fire was doused. With their work done the Pokemon left.

Everyone eyed the hole in the wall carefully, waiting for another fire to start. "I think it's safe now." Terriermon said.

"Thank you so much Range…ummmm…Ben!" Nema smiled. "By the way…Would another three requests be okay?"

"Yer jokin' right?" Fei asked.

"This is my first one. I'd like you to carry the Z.Z. Flyer to my room!"

"I got it." Takumi groaned, lifting the object.

"Oh, for the love of…" Fei groaned as he, Ben, Nema, And Nokia all went inside.

"Are all humans like this at that age?" FanBeemon asked.

"No, just the crazy ones. By the, way, Ami, I've got a question for ya."

"What's up?"

"You…No, not just you. You and yer brother are takin' all this rather calmly. Like you've been through it before."

"Uh, is that so?" Ami asked nervously. "Well, we are adapted to bizarre things! We're detectives!"

"Okay, but back at the beach, Takumi identified that Digimon right away. Same with the one in the cave."

"Well…maybe, he's psychic or something! My brother's kinda weird! A-anyway, let's go inside!"

Fei watched Ami run into the house. "Huh. Weirdness must run in the family."

* * *

"Oblivia? That's where we are?"

"Yeah." Summer replied. She and Yuuko were still on the floor tied up and blindfolded. "What were you doing here?"

"I…got lost when I was with my friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah…Brother…Takumi…Ami…Arata…Nokia…Fei…I hope they're all safe."

Summer bit her lip. "I…I know how you feel…I don't know if Ben is even…"

"Your partner, right? You said he fell from the sky?"

"It…it's my fault! He was protecting me!"

"He did so without thinking…that reminds me of my friends. They do that for others…"

"I messed up! And now I…I…"

"I'm telling you, I saw him!" They heard a voice outside the door. The Pinchers were chatting.

"Another Ranger?"

"Yeah! A kid with brown hair and googles!"

Summer's eyes widened under her scarf. "Ben…?"

"He interfered with the mission at Rasp Cavern!"

"Great. Just what we need. More Rangers chasing after us."

Summer couldn't believe it a smile slowly appeared on her face. Yuuko smiled hearing this. "It seems your partner is rather stubborn. That also reminds me of my friends."

Tears of joy slipped from Summer's eyes. He was okay. He was safe. And he's still fighting. The mission wasn't over yet.

* * *

Everyone had gathered inside. There was plenty of room for all of them. Nema was just walking into the room. "The fire made a mess of my room, so just put the Z.Z. Flyer there." Takumi, dropped the metal object and sighed in relief. He then walked over to the couch and slumped down in it. "Thank you very much!" The boy just gave a thumbs up.

"So, what now?" Fei asked.

"I'll investigate the Z.Z. Flyer, and if I find anything, I'll tell you right away! That room is my research lab. I might not look like it, but I'm a scientist."

"Yeah, the lab coat and glasses sold it for me."

"No really, this girl is supper smart!" Nokia said. "Half the stuff she says makes my head spin."

"That's not sayin' much."

"Anyway, I'm really glad you guys were with me." Nema said. "There's no way I could have put out a big fire like that by myself. We'll I'll introduce myself once again. I told you before, but my name is Nema. I'm currently developing a new weapon to take out bad guys. Most of my work got burned up in that fire, but it's okay. I can work on it again."

"Oh, right I just remembered." Ami said. "Ben, have her take a look at your Styler."

"Oh, yeah, I've been curious about this for a while. Your Styler is different than Papa's. It talks."

"Yeah, but after I fell into the sea it's been kinda messed up." Ben sighed.

"I'll have a look at the insides, so let me borrow it for a second!"

"Is this the second of your three requests?" Ben grinned, detaching the disk from his wrist.

"Yup!" Nema took the object and skipped over to a desk. "Wow! This is amazing! I've never seen circularity like this! Ooh, it looks like seawater got in through this gap. With a little blast of air and a bit of grease…And finally in this area here…Okay! It's fixed!"

"That was fast." Takumi said.

"See? Told ya she was smart!" Nokia smirked.

Nema took the disk back to Ben. "Try setting it on your arm."

Ben reattached the Styler and it started beeping. "**Confirmed rebooting of the Styler Modification module."**

"Nice! Thanks, Nema!"

"Not a problem! Still, Papa's pretty late."

"Yeah…And if he's with Kyoko, I'd really like to get her input on what to do." Takumi sighed. "Maybe we should go look for them. Nema, do you know where they might have gone?"

"Probably somewhere around the Wireless Tower on Mt. Latolato."

"The Wireless Tower…" Ami pondered. "While we were on Docle Island with Nick we saw some strange flashing…Maybe they went to investigate. We'd better take a look."

"I'll guide you guys." Nema said.

"Alright guys." Ben said. "Let's move out!"

* * *

Nema guided the team through the forest west from her house. They went past a bridge over a stream and then she tuned around to face them. This is the start of the trail that climbs . They ascended a stair-like rock formation.

"So, what's this Wireless Tower do?" Gabumon asked.

"It's super important." Nema replied. "See, it-

"Hold that thought." Ben said with a stern expression.

A lone Pincher with his Ivysaur and Skiploom blocked their path. "Hold on there! From here on, no children are allowed to enter."

"What are you talking about?" Nema asked. "Mt. Latolato's a safe place."

"Not anymore." Ami said stepping in front of her.

"That's right." The Picher said as his Pokemon stepped towards them. "It was, up until a few days ago. Now, all sorts of shady characters are running around there."

"Yeah! Like you!" Fei said as she stepped up.

The man grinned. "Yeah. Like me. Get em!"

Nokia screeched the Pokemon came toward them, prompting Agumon and Gabumon to step in front of her. "You're not laying a finger on Nokia!" the lizard, like Digimon said.

"That's right! We'll protect her to the end!" the horned Digimon replied.

"You guys…"

The Pincher's eyes bugged out. "H-huh?! Talking Pokemon?!"

Suddenly a pink light shinned from Nokia's Digivice. "Whoa! What the…" She slowly took it out.

"That light…Nokia! Use your Digivice! It should let your Digimon Digivolve!" Takumi said.

"Really? Alright then! Let's do this!" Nokia cheered pointing it towards them. The familiar blue screen was displayed in front of her.

DIGIVOLUTION

As soon as she laid her hand on it, the pink light traveled to the screen and then towards Agumon and Gabumon. "Agumon, Digivolve to…!"

"Gabumon, Digivolve to…!"

Everyone protected their eyes. Soon a giant dinosaur, like Digimon, with a shell-like skull, and a blue wold, like Digimon rose up. "Greymon!"

"Garurumon!"

"Wow!" Ben took a step back. "That's…incredible!"

The Pincher stepped back. "Impossible…evolution at this moment?!"

"Aw, yeah! Now you'll see what we're made of!" Nokia cheered. "Go get em!"

"Mega Flame!"

"Fox Fire!"

Greymon shot a large fireball at Ivysaur. Garurumon shot a blast of blue flame at Skiploom. Both Pokemon were flung back from the impact and immediately defeated. The dumbstruck Pincher trembled. "Who'd have thought a bunch of kids could be so tough?!" He then ran off like his life depended on it.

After a victorious roar, Greymon and Garurumon de-digivolved back to their Rookie forms. "Nice job boys!" Nokia smiled. "You two rock!"

"Still…sounds like more of those Pinchers are gathering up there." Takumi said. "What are they up to?"

"I'm starting to get worried about Papa…" Nema muttered.

"Let's press on for now." Ami said.

They continued upward until they reached another bridge. A bigger one overlooking the sea. "Check it out." Nokia smiled. "You don't see a lot of this in Tokyo."

"The view from here is breathtaking, isn't it?" Nema asked. "Oblivia's sea and sky. I love them both."

"Yeah…" Ben nodded with a small smile. "This really is a beautiful region. I have to get rid of the Pinchers infesting it. No mater what."

Terriermon looked to the left. "What's that? Someone's coming here."

A Pincher charged towards them with a Wobbuffet. "You'll never get past this bridge."

"Never say never!" Ben grinned. "Step back, guys, it's my turn! Capture on!"

* * *

Somewhere on a large radio tower, two Pinchers were idly talking. "How much longer, does the leader need?"

"Stuff like this takes time. What's your hurry?"

"I heard Raikou was spotted around here."

The other Pincher raised a brow. "Raikou? The legendary Pokemon? Out here?"

"Yeah. I think he was chasing some of our buds."

"Yikes. Well let's hope he stays away from here."

The two men walked away. Shortly after a boy in blue with a hood dropped down, with his mysterious creature. "Heh, heh, heh, heh! Sounds like things are getting interesting around here!" the creature cackled.

"I'll say. Let's see if I can hack into this thing before they mess with it. We might find the others." Three blue screens were displayed in front of the boy and he got to work. "Strange systems this world uses. Let's see…There!"

* * *

The Pincher stepped back as his Pokemon ran off. "I'll let you cross the bridge this once. But after you cross, go home, okay?" He then ran off.

"Weirdo." Palmon muttered.

"I wonder what they're planning to do with Mt, Latolato." Nema said.

"It might have something to do with the tower." Ben said.

They hurried up more stone steps. "The tower is just ahead." Nema said.

Takumi got a look ahead. "Hey, look!" Up ahead a man with black hair, in a red and black uniform as well as a lady in a police uniform stood in front of three Pinchers.

"You there! What are you trying to do to the Wireless Tower!" the man yelled.

"No one here is dense enough to answer that just because they're asked!" one of the Pinchers mocked.

"If you don't want to get hurt, I recommend you look the other way." The lone woman of the Pinchers added.

"What was that?" the policewoman asked cracking her knuckles. "Want me to arrest you punks?"

"Hey…" Ami said. "Isn't that-

"Papa!" Nema ran to them.

"Nema, wait!" Ben yelled as he and the others went after her.

"Detective Date! You're here too!" Ami said.

The woman looked behind her. "Huh? What are you kids doing here? This ain't a field trip in case you didn't notice!"

"Nice to see you too." Fei replied with folded arms.

The Pincher's eyes were on Ben. "The Pokemon Ranger's backup has arrived. We'll just have to take them all out at once then!"

"Hey. Mind if we help out?" Ben asked the other Ranger.

The man smiled. "Thanks. Let's show these goons how it's done!" The Pinchers pointed their gauntlets forward and a, Aipom, a Gligar, and a Skunktank all jumped in. "Capture on!"

"Guys, can your Digimon distract the big guy for a bit?" Ben asked, as he brought an Electrike. "Us Rangers will deal with the smaller ones first."

"Leave it to us! Let's go!" Takumi said.

"Pepper Breath!"

"Blue Blaster!" Agumon and Gabumon made the first move. A fireball and a jet of blue flame, smaller then what was used in their Champion forms, fired at the skunk Pokemon, making it flinch. It them charged and batted them aside with its claws. Palmon jumped and wrapped her vine like fingers around it and landed on it's back. It bucked and jumped wildly trying to shake her off.

Meanwhile, the tall Ranger was spinning loops around Gligar, as Ben's Electrike shocked the Aipom. He drew his loops while it was stunned. "There!" he smirked as the smaller ones ran off. "How's it going on your end?"

"Working on it!" Takumi said as Palmon was thrown off Skunktank.

"Skunktank, Poison Gas!" On the woman's orders, it shoot purple clouds at them.

"Terriermon!"

"Terrier Tornado!" The rabbit Digimon, spun rapidly, until to formed a tornado, and shot it straight into the gas and sucked it all up. The tornado turned purple and keep going until it collided into the Pinchers, releasing the stench on them.

"Gah! That stinks!"

"*hack* You just had to use that move, didn't you?!"

The Skunktank just stood there, as it was no longer receiving orders. "Ben, now's your chance!" Terriermon said.

"Here goes!" After a few loops, the two Rangers, calmed down the last Pokemon, and it fled. The Pinchers waved the gas off, just in time to see their last line of defence leave.

"Ugh. Everything was going just fine until these intruders showed up!" The three of them ran towards the tower.

Nema hugged the older ranger. "Papa!"

"Hey, Rand!" Nokia smiled. "Looks like we have pretty good timing, huh?"

"So, this is Rand, huh?" FanBeemon asked.

"Nema! I've told you time and time again not to be so reckless!" Rand scolded.

"But I…I just thought that I would guide the Ranger who wanted to meet you here…"

Rand then glanced at Ben, then back at his daughter. "I-I see…I'm sorry I yelled."

"As much as I hate to ruin family time, those creeps are getting away!" Date yelled.

"Let them go for now, Date! We need a plan." A new voice directed everyone's attention to a shed. An elderly detective and a tall blond woman stood at the entrance.

Takumi recognized them and smiled. "Detective Matayoshi! Kyoko!"

The woman smiled. "Good to see you're both in one piece, my dear Watsons."

"You know these two?" Ben asked.

"Yup." Ami nodded. "Remember how Takumi mentioned that we're a detective's assistants? Well here's that detective! Kyoko Kuremi! And that is her senior, Matayoshi. Oh, and this is Date. A police detective who works for him. She's also Nokia's cousin."

"Hey, how come I was last?"

"Does that matter, Date?" the elderly detective asked. "Well, more importantly, I'm glad to see you're all safe. We meet with Rand here and after he told us of his Pincher problem we agreed on a little alliance. Hmm? I don't see Sanada or the Kamishiro kids around."

Rand looked at the kids. "For now, let's talk inside. If we stay here, they might come back again."

* * *

**As someone who's first exposure to Digimon was Adventure 1 it was almost torture not writing Greymon and Garurumon's attacks as Nova Blast and Howling Blaster. Guess I'll have to get used to that. On another note, and this is something I should have admittedly brought up sooner, those of you who are disappointed that neither Takumi or Ami have the third starter, rest assured I plan on putting Hagurumon in here eventually. **


	7. Chapter 7: Assault on The Tower

**After examining the Z.Z. Fleyer at Rand's house, Ben and co decided to search for Rand on Mt. Latotlato. Upon ariving to the peak, they met Rand along with Takumi and Ami's employer and mentor Kyoko as well as their seniors Matayoshi and Date. With the Pokeon Pinchers ocupying the tower, the team bands together to decide their next move.**

* * *

Everyone had gathered inside the shack. When they were all inside they were greeted by a woman with blue hair in a bun and a man with a orange jacket. "I'd like to introduce everyone!" Nema smiled. "You already know Nokia, Agumon and Gabumon. These are their friends! Takumi, and his sister Ami, their Digimon, Terriermon and Palmon, Fei and Fanbeemon, and Ben, a Pokemon Ranger just like Papa! He helped me with two of my three requests."

"More like five of your six." Terriermon mumbled.

"Oh…There's still one left! Anyway, I got a lot of help."

"Nema! Were your three requests really just selfish demands?" Rand asked.

"They weren't selfish at all, it was an emergency!" Nokia said. "Lightning struck the house and set it on fire! Ben put it out! Then it came back! Then he put it out again!"

"Yeah, remind me to add "Fireman" to my resumé when this is over." The Ranger said, rolling his eyes.

"Our house was on fire? That happened while I was out! Are you all okay?" Rand asked.

Nema nodded. "Ben that hothead is my Papa!"

"Hothead? Anyway, I'm Rand, the Area Ranger for the Oblevia region." Rand said, shaking Ben's hand. "Thank you for putting out the fire. If you hadn't been there…"

"Eh, it was nothing. Just doing my job."

Nema turned to the blue haired lady. "This pretty lady is my mom! She might not look like it, but she's an archeologist. Oblivia is full of ruins, so my mon is very busy."

"I'm Leanne. Nice to meet you. As Nema said, this Oblivia region has many fascinating ruins. I'm researching the relationship between the legends of Oblivia and the actual ruins. Put simply, I'm researching whether these legends are simply fabrications of the students or something else entirely. Also…"

"Mom! That's too much info! Keep your introductions to a minimum."

"I-I guess that's so." Leanne said in an embarrassed tone.

Nokia shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think I need to point this out, but she and Kyoko really hit it off. Seriously, they went on for hours!"

The detective smiled. "You say that like it's a bad thing. I myself find these legends intriguing."

Rand turned back to Ben. "Kyoko told us these people came from another world."

"Yeah. I got the story from Takumi. Personally, I think they're telling the truth." Ben smiled looking at the male Cyber Sleuth. "They don't seem to be the lying sort, and they really care about helping others."

"Heh, heh…Thanks Ben."

Kyoko laughed lightly. "Sounds like you've been busy, my little assistants. Good work."

Rand patted Ben's shoulder. "Glad we're on the same page. I trust them too. All the same it may be best not to go telling everybody just yet. By the way, the Ranger Union told me before that they were sending two Rangers here, but…What happened to the other one?"

"Huh? You brought a friend?" Nokia asked.

Ben's smile faded. Takumi and Ami looked at him in concern.

"Did…did something happen?" Gabumon asked.

Matayoshi folded her arms. "Calm down everyone, let's let Ben here report the situation."

Ben sighed before he started explaining. "Well my partner, Summer and I were on our way here when I saw Pinchers chasing down two Pokemon so I…"

* * *

Everyone stayed quiet until Ben finished his story. He explained how he got to Oblivia, meeting Takumi and Ami, and the rest of the situation up to now. "Hmmm, I see…" the elderly detective said tilting his hat down.

Rand looked down. "So that's what happened…You must be very worried about your partner." Ben stared blankly at the table. Seeing his depressed state, Rand put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "But then again, your partner is a well-trained Pokemon Ranger."

"I agree, give your her some credit!" Date said. "I mean, it's not like you're helpless on your own, so why would she be any different?"

"True. Either way, we'll find her." Matayoshi smiled. "We still have people to look for anyway. Arata Sandara, as well as Yuuko and Yuugo Kamishiro."

"What happened at Rasp Cavern troubles me." Kyoko said. "What did they need that piece of the Monument for?"

"It wasn't to catch Raikou." Ami said with her finger and thumb on her chin. "Which is pretty suspicious considering they're hording all sorts of Pokemon. Why would they not try to catch something deemed legendary?"

"It's also worth noting that they think it's valuable enough to risk getting on Raikou's bad side." Takumi added. "And that Raikou think's it's important to protect it to the point where it'll chase them all the way outside the forest."

"Well, look at you two, with the detective's analysis." Leanne smiled. "You trained them well, Kyoko."

"I like to think so."

"And then there's the tower." Rand said. "What are the Pokemon Pinchers planning?" Everyone went silent into thought for a moment, before Rand spoke again. "I think you may have already noticed, but our Wireless Tower, which is next to this shack, has been taken over by the Pokemon Pinchers. As a result, we haven't been able to communicate with the Ranger Union for several days."

"That must be why I can't contact Summer." Ben said.

Rand nodded. "That's why, Ben, I want your help taking the Wireless Tower back from the Pinchers."

"Leave it to me."

"We'll come along." Takumi said.

"Hey, hold on now! This is way more dangerous than any of your previous cases you've been helping Kyo-Kyo with!" Matayoshi said. "You're still a trainee!"

"We'll be fine!" Ami smiled. "We got our Digimon after all!"

"Yeah! We'll watch their backs!" Palmon nodded.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. Just listen to Rand…But these Digimon…" Kyoko pondered. "I'd like to ask. How do-

Bzztzzt.

A buzzing sound directed everyone's attention to the door. A man with blond spikey hair stepped it. Electricity was bizarrely flowing around him. "Whoa! What's up with him?!" Terriermon asked.

Rand walked towards him. "Burkhart? Did you let a bug in?"

"Not that I saw…" Everyone stared at him as the electricity bounced around him. "I just snuck…zzt…into the Wirless Tower. There was electricity running everywhere. Then I got shocked at it seems I'm still carrying a charge."

"Stealing electricity, now are we?" Date glared. "Why I oughta-

"Not now Date!" Matayoshi scolded.

The newcomer then spotted Ben. "Zzt? The backup Ranger arrived? Buzzzzt…"

"Uh…hi."

"Oh, I just thought of something. Would you like to recharge your Styler with my excess electricity?"

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea!" Ben said backing up as he approached.

Rand Immediately panicked. "S-Stop it! Don't be so Rash, Burkhart!"

"Pichu! Pichu!" Pichu blocked him with a glare.

Ben's Styler started making an alarm sound. **"Improper charging is a major warranty violation."**

"Warranty violation?" the dumbstruck Burkhart asked. "It's not a household appliance! Well I'll let you be just this once. I still thought it was a pretty good idea, though."

Rand sighed and looked back at Ben. "I don't know what those Pinchers are doing, but there are unshielded wires all over the Wireless Tower."

"So, the name "Wireless" Tower is supposed to be ironic or something?" FanBeemon asked.

"When we're up these, be very carful not to get shocked like Burkhart did."

Ben glanced back at the electrified man. "Right…"

"Anyway, you were going to ask the kids something about their Digimon here, Kyo-Kyo?" Matayoshi asked referring to the old nickname he used for her.

The detective shook her head. "No. It can wait. I'll stay here and see if I can "borrow" access to the tower's systems. Burkhart, did you see anything else up there they should be on the lookout for?"

"Zzzt…Oh yeah! I got a glimpse of some guy with a hood sneaking around. I don't think he's with the Pinchers."

"Some guy?" Ami asked.

Takumi looked blankly at a wall. "Wait…could it be…Nah, even _he _can't be_ that _crazy. We'll keep an eye out anyway. Ready to go Terriermon? Terriermon?"

"Uh…Takumi?"

Everyone glanced to see Date holding up the rabbit Digimon, petting it. "Aww, you got such soft fur…Huh?!" As soon as she noticed everyone staring at her, she threw him back into Takumi. He grunted as they crashed into the floor. "A-anyway, don't mess this up or I'll arrest you!"

Ben and Rand looked at each other and shrugged as they sighed. They then both performed their Ranger poses. "Let's get started!" the younger Ranger smiled.

* * *

Along with the Rangers, Takumi, Ami, Fei, Nokia and their Digimon climbed the tower's first staircase and onto the first floor.

"So, where do we start?" Palmon asked.

"Let's just bash any Pinchers we come across!" Nokia said. "We'll-

"Look out!" Takumi pulled Nokia down, just as a Gligar swopped over her head.

"Yeeek! What was that about?!"

"Since the Pinchers are here, the Pokemon are agitated." Rand said as he and Ben worked on catching it. "They'll attack if you get too close to them."

"Terrier Tornado!"

"Gear Stinger!"

With an attack from Terriermon and FanBeemon it got dizzy. Rand used the opportunity to finish the capture, and Gligar gently flew to his side. "Let's get going. There are no guardrails along the paths and floors of the Wireless Tower. Be careful not to fall off." Everyone cautiously made their way past the boards, separating the platforms. A gate blocked their way at one point, but Rand used the Gligar he caught to cut it down. Just then they spotted two Pinchers talking.

"Raikou was climbing the base. What on earth is going on?"

"It probably just came around to our way of thinking and has come to lend a hand."

"Aren't we optimistic." Fei snarked.

Both Pinchers faced Rand and Ben as they ran over to them. "Oh great, now we have one more Ranger to deal with! I'll go warn everyone above!"

As one of them ran up the stairs the other came towards them with a Pichu. "You must be the brats we were warned about. You're not going to get one step higher than this!"

Takumi was the first to notice his Pokemon. "Hey, isn't that-

Ben's Pichu's eyes widened. "Pichu?! Pichu Pichu!"

The Pincher gave it a confused look. "Enough with the "Pichu Pichu" already! It might be a Pichu, just like you, but it doesn't matter!"

"Doesn't matter?" Ben glared. "That Pichu was his friend before you abducted him, you creep!"

"Whatever! Go get em!"

The Pincher's Pichu charged angerly at Ben and Rand who jumped back. Ben's Pichu stood in front of it. "Pichu!" The other Pichu angerly tackled into him.

"Come on, we gotta help!" Fei said.

"Wait, we can't hurt him! He's the little guy's friend!" Palmon protested.

"Well what do we do then? Sit back and let him beat the stuffing out of his "friend"?" FanBeemon asked.

"Hang on…I got a idea!" Ami said. "Palmon, listen carefully!"

The two Pichu rolled across the floor for a bit.

"Hey!"

The opposing Pichu looked up to see Palmon wrap its vines around him and push him off.

"Pi!" Ukulele Pichu got up and panicked.

"Pichu, now! Play your Ukulele!" Ami said. The Pokemon gave Ami a confused glance. "He must have heard you play billions of times before! It might help him remember who you are!"

Pichu's eyes lite up as it brought out his interment. Gentle music filled the air as it twanged the strings. Just after, the other Pichu shocked Palmon and got her off, it stopped. It listened to the music.

"It stopped! Come on, Ben, this is our chance!" Both Rangers shot their Capture Stylers and drew loops around the Pichu as the music continued.

"Pichu!" It bounced in delight with a smile and ran happily around Ukulele Pichu in circles.

The Pincher was in disbelief. "What the heck are you doing, Pichu?! Where's that intensity I saw when I seized you on Docle island?" Both Pichu turned angerly at the Pincher and started firing bolts at him. "Yeah, that! Wait, no, not me! Not on me, you idiot! Ah, aaaaah!" Everyone laughed as he ran past them, dodging bolts.

Once he was gone, Ukulele Pichu looked at his friend and started to glow with electricity. "Pichu Pichu?"

The other Pichu stood next to it and copied his actions. "So, this is one of Pichu's missing friends." Takumi said as the ukulele player played another tune. "It must have suffered so much under that guy's control."

Ben smiled and knelt next to his partner. "I'm glad we found your friend, Pichu."

Ami looked at the other Pichu. "Think you can get back to Booker from here? He can get you back to Docle island."

The Pichu nodded and happily ran back down the tower. Ukulele Pichu waved him off.

"I hope we find the others." Palmon said.

"Me too." Rand nodded. "But right now, we'd better get going. We let that other one get away. They probably all know we're here by now."

Ben nodded and lead the team up the stairs. The saw the other Pincher on the platform across some pipes.

"You! Stop!" Nokia yelled.

He looked at them and went bug-eyed. "Whoa! They're here already! I've got to warn everyone!"

"Hey, you! Wait!" Rand hollered as the man ran across another set of large pipes.

But as he was halfway across, the pipes started glowing with electricity and started shocking him. "Aieeeeee! Bzzzzzztzz!" After a few seconds he was flung off and hit the ground with a thud falling unconscious.

Ben simply winced as he watched. "Uh….ow."

Rand sighed. "I tried to warn him…Between that guy and Burkhart, there are way too many people who don't listen!"

"That's convenient." Fei smirked. "Without him blabbin' off to his friends we still have the element of surprise."

"In that case, let's take our time." Rand said. "Everyone, cross one at a time. The electricity looks like it comes off after a few seconds. Kyoko must have gotten into the power supply."

* * *

Sure enough, back in the shack, Kyoko was working away at a computer. "Hmmm…doesn't look like I can do much else from here."

"Let's hope it's enough." Nema said.

"Although…while I was breaking in, I noticed that it looked like someone else was hacking into the server."

"Must be the Pinchers." Date said.

"I doubt it. They pretty much own the tower at this point."

Burkhart put a hand on his chin. "Maybe it's that guy I saw earlier...zzt."

"I also noticed what looks like a strange program in the system."

"Strange?" Nema asked.

* * *

It took a few minutes for everyone to clear the next floor. But by the time they were at the third floor, Ben had a Voltorb and a Porygon 2. Rand had a Shinx and a Magnemite.

"Ugh…How tall IS this stupid tower?!" Nokia groaned.

"Complainin' won't make things easier for anyone. Just shut your trap and keep movin' already." Fei replied sharply.

"But we're so high up!" Nokia looked over the edge and shrieked. "EEEK! We're really high up!"

"Nokia?" Takumi glanced at her. "You okay there?"

Nokia looked at him and then noticed that out of instinct, she was grabbing his arm. "AAAH!" Her face turned red as she backed up. Ami giggled a bit.

"Heads up." Ben said stopping the team. "More coming."

Three Pinchers blocked the next set of stairs. One woman with a Lairon, and another woman and a man with two Aron. "Welcome, Rangers. But this is as far as you go."

"Just do an about-face and get out of here."

"If you won't go back, we'll make you want to leave!" Lairon! Aron! Send em home crying!"

"Rand, Takumi and I got the big one!" Ben said. "Voltorb! Thunder Wave!"

"Shinx, Spark!"

Both electric Pokemon shot sparks, at Larion, paralyzing the target.

The Aron charged, but Agumon, and Gabumon, blocked then and started pushing back. FanBeemon, And Palmon charged into, their sides stunning them, before Rand went for the catch. Meanwhile, Larion recovered and shot a metal ball from its mouth. Ben backflipped over it and shot his Styler. As it whirled around Lairon, it roared and prepared to strike but Terriermon jumped on its head and covered its eyes with his ears, making it run wild in confusion. In time all Pokemon, were snapped out of their trance and settled down.

"Oh, man…How can I face the leader after this?" the male Pincher asked. All three of them ran past them and towards the exit.

When Ben and co climbed the next set of stairs, they were greeted by powerful gusts off wind. "Whao!" Terriermon almost flew back, but Takumi caught him.

"The wind's strong here. Be carful not to get flung off." Rand warned.

* * *

On top of the tower a woman with blond hair, dressed in blue and white overlooked the area bellow. "What is taking them so long? If there is one thing I hate, it's being kept waiting...Well…at least the program I was given worked. Whatever it is."

* * *

Ben and the team made their way to the next floor. "Phew…All this climbing…" Ami grunted as she dropped to a knee.

"What? Getting tired?" Takumi said with a smug grin.

"N-never!" the girl replied bucking up and getting back to her feet.

"Ah, sibling love." Ben joked. "Hey, look over there!"

On the other side, two Pinchers were running towards the stairs like their lives depended on it. "Hurry! Both the Rangers and Raikou are right behind us!"

"We have to hurry and give this to our leader!" Sure, enough the Legendary Pokemon zipped up the stairs after them with shocking speed.

"W-whoa! Did you see how fast that thing was?!" Nokia asked. "That's the Raikou thing you told us about, right?"

"Wow. He really did follow them all the way here." Terriermon said. "That's one angry kitty."

"I say we let it waste those punks." Fei said.

"Fei, we can't leave it be, it'll kill them!" Ami said.

"Raikou's fury is too great…We may have to capture it." Rand said. "Guys, listen. If you feel like you're in danger, don't be reckless—Run." Everyone nodded. "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

Back on top of the tower, the blond woman looked at the enormous antenna of the tower. "We messed with the frequency and cut off the power. But to be safe, we should probably take out the antenna, too. That way they won't be able to communicate with anyone for a while."

"Leader!" The two Pinchers ran up to her.

"You're late. Did you get the Emblem?"

"Yes, here it is!" one of them said.

The woman smiled as the took the piece of the monument into her hand. "Good work!"

"Thank you, leader! But we do have two mall problems…Actually they're nothing that major…"

The woman gave them a suspicious glance.

"One is that the Pokemon Rangers have made it up here. The other is that Raikou is standing right there…"

"Roooooar!" The legendary Pokemon leapt if front of them, prompting the Pinchers to run leaving their leader with the angry Pokemon.

"What have those numbskulls done?! They brought Raikou right to us!"

Raikou let out a mighty roar, and lightning rained down towards the woman who jumped out of the way just in time. The bolts came down on the antenna. After a series of explosion, it was a complete wreck.

The woman grumbled as she stepped away. "It was nice of Raikou to break the antenna, but at this rate, it might be best to go…"

"So soon?"

"You must be the leader of the Pinchers!"

The woman turned around to see, Ben, Rand and their friends at the stairs. "What have you been doing here?" the man asked.

"You're one step behind, Pokemon Ranger. Raikou broke your precious antenna."

Rand's eyes widened before he scowled. "So, you're controlling Raikou, huh?"

Fei glanced at the angered beast. "Somehow I seriously doubt that."

The woman scoffed. "Oh, please. I'm no Ranger. Actually, even a Ranger might have trouble controlling a legendary Pokemon. At any rate, we destroyed the Wireless Tower, so our work here is done. There's no reason for me to hang around, so ta-ta!" With a snap of her fingers a blue Z.Z. Flyer flew over to her and she jumped on it.

"Wait! Tell us why you destroyed the Wireless Tower!" Rand demanded.

"I hate electrometric waves. Is that a good enough reason for you?" the woman smirked.

"Not in the slightest! What the heck kind of excuse is that?!" Nokia asked.

"If I were you, I'd be a little more concerned about the roaring Raikou next to me. Thanks for cleaning up, Pokemon Rangers." The woman laughed, before flying away.

"I can go after her!" FanBeemon yelled.

"Wait! We need you here!" Takumi said.

"I agree." Rand nodded. "I hate to let her get away, but we have to calm Raikou down first!"

They approached and surrounded Raikou fast. Pichu took a step closer. "Pichu! Get away! It's too dangerous!" Rand ordered.

"Pichu Pichuu?" The Ukulele Pokemon strung its Ukulele.

"Grrrr…Roooooar!" A bright bolt came down, startling Pichu away.

"Sheesh, everyone's a critic!" Terriermon joked.

"Are you alright, pal?" Ben asked.

"Pi…chu…"

Ben held up his Styler and it displayed a screen with a picture of Raikou. "The one and only Raikou. It embodies the speed of lighting and creates shockwaves and shakes the ground when it roars as it lighting struck."

"You sure know a lot about this thing for somthin' that's a legend." Fei said.

"My Styler told me just now."

"Oh yeah. You mentioned before that those things have data on all Pokemon." Takumi said. "Legends included."

"That's right. It's called a Browser."

"So like a Field Guide for Pokemon?" Ami asked.

"Um...yeah...I guess."

Rand got his Styler ready. "I don't think I need to tell you Ben, but guys, as you can see, Raikou is a very formidable Pokemon. It won't go down as easily as the other Pokemon you faced before."

"Yeah, we got it." Takumi said. "Let's go!"

"Don't give it a chance to make a move!" Ami said. "Keep bombarding it, and don't stop until it's down!"

Palmon, sent its thorns towars Raikou. "Right! Posion, Ivy!"

Rand's head turned to the Digimon. "Palmon, no! Wait!" Raikou, let out a roar, as a shield of electricity cloaked it, just when the attack made contact. Palmon, screamed as she was zapped before dropping to the floor.

Ami ran over to her partner "Palmon!"

"Tch! A barrier that also acts as an offensive maneuver." Fei growled. "This one's certainty a lot craftier, then the rest of the Pokemon, I'll give it that."

"We're going to have to rely on ranged attacks." Takumi said. "Nokia, Fei, back me up!"

"Right!"

"Terriermon!"

"Terrier Tornado!"

"Agumon! Gabumon!"

"Pepper Breath!"

"Blue Blaster!"

"FanBeemon!"

"Gear Stinger!" The four Digimon, each sent an attack at a safe distance, but Riakou, with ease, maneuvered, around the attacks all while charging closer. It batted, Terriermon aside, shot volts at Agumon and Gabumon, then charged its head into FanBeemon.

Nokia was in disbelief. "N-no way…Not only is he too strong, he's too fast for us to hit him!"

Fei growled as she took out her Digivice. She batted it with her hand, shook it, and fiddled with the boutons. "Why isn't that Digivolve thing goin' off?"

Raikou's electric shield dissipated as it roared, and a wave of thunderbolts came down and approached them. "Guys, look out!" Ben grabbed, Takumi and Nokia, by the shoulders and pushed them back. Rand did the same for, Ami and Fei. Both Rangers took the blast. When they hit the floor, Takumi was the first to look up when the bolts, hit the Rangers. "Ben! Rand!"

Both of them dropped to their knees. Most of the shock was absorbed by their Stylers but both were at a quarter of their energy.

"Ngh! Even with the Styler's shield that hurt…this is the power of legendaries?"

Rand groaned and forced himself up. "Ben, take the others and run. This was a bad idea."

"Wh-But what about you?!"

"I'll see if I can slow Raikou down."

"That's insane!" Palmon yelled. "We can't leave you behind!"

Raikou slowly approached them, glaring harshly.

"No time for arguing! Now go!"

Takumi, Ami and Nokia froze as a familiar vision flashed into their minds. For a second, they no longer saw Raikou approaching Rand…but rather an Eater approaching Yuugo. "No…Not again!" Takumi yelled. "I'm not leaving any friends behind!"

Ami nodded. "We're going back victorious! Together!"

Raikou roared as it started to dash towards them.

"Crazy Giggle!"

A black sphere flew into, Raikou hitting it in the face and stopping it in its tracks. Rand looked behind him. "What was-?!"

A purple creature with a yellow collar, green and black eyes and a frightening smile stood behind them. "Heh, heh, heh! Right in the kisser!"

"Is that…Keramon?" Takumi asked. "Wait…can it be…?"

"Man, you guys just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" A young man in blue with black hair and a hood over his head walked towards them. Ben and Rand looked confused. But the other's had shocked expressions plastered on their faces.

Ami's was the first to turn into a surprised smile. "Arata!"

* * *

**Yes, I plan on having the Stylers act like Pokedexs in the sense of giving info on Pokemon. The info I include will likely by fun facts about the Pokemon you can find in the Pokedexs in the many generations of Pokemon. And the Tower is a two parter, so look forward to the rest next week.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Raging Raikou

**While battling the Pokemon Pinchers as they climbed the Wireless Tower, The Pokemon Rangers and Digimon Tamers encounter a mysterious woman with blue eyes leading the opposing forces. Afte the legendary Pokemon Raikou destroyed the antenna, the woman escapes, leaving the heroes to face the rampaging Pokemon. However, just when they were overwhelmed, another of Ami and Takumi's friends from their world, Arata arives. **

* * *

Arata pulled his hood down as he walked over to his friends. "Well, at least you're all still alive. Good thing you've got a good luck streak to go with your reckless habits."

"A-A-Arata!? When did you get here?!" Nokia asked.

"Oh, I've been hanging around here for a while before you slowpokes arrived."

"You're…Arata Sanada?" Rand asked. "One of those missing kids?"

The teen turned to Ben and Rand. "So, you guys are the Pokemon Rangers I overheard about. Thanks for looking out for my friends here."

"Uh, yeah, no problem but we've got bigger issues right now! Take your friends here and run! Raikou doesn't seem to happy over that pot-shot you took at it!"

The legendary roared in anger.

"What, this thing?" Keramon asked. "We've dealt with scarier things then some sparkling kitty!"

Arata grinned as he pulled his Digivice out of his pocket. "Darn right! Let's rock!" A dark blue light flashed from the gadget and a blue screen appeared in front of Arata.

DIGIVOLUTION

Takumi couldn't hold his surprise. "Wait…is that-?!

Arata pressed the screen with his hand. It turned a darker shade of blue to match his Digivice and shined on his partner. "Keramon Digivolve to…." A blue shell formed around Arata's Digimon. Everyone shielded their eyes as the light intensified. The shell then burst and out came a purple floating Digimon with a red horn, and six thin cords with yellow points on each end. "…Kurisarimon!"

"A-amazing…" Ami said in shock. "He Digivoled his Digimon at will…just like that?"

"So, this is the evolution for Digimon you mentioned." Rand said in amazement. "Digivolution…"

Arata smirked as Raikou let out another roar and shot a sphere of electricity at him and his partner. "Let's go, Kurisarimon!"

"Data Crusher!" Arata's Digimon, brought back it's tentacles and then thrusted them into the oncoming attack. After a brief struggle, he pushed it right back at the Pokemon, zapping it in the face. Riakou, winced before growling in annoyance.

"Whoa. He's tougher than I thought." Arata turned to his friends. "Hey, stop messing around! You guys better hurry and Digivolve your Digimon too!"

"We don't know HOW to!" Takumi replied. "It just…happens! Randomly!"

"What? You haven't figured it out? Well, I guess you've only been here for a while…"

"So, wait, you know how it works?" Palmon asked as Kurisarimon continued to fight off Riakou.

"When I meet Keramon, we started discussing how to Digivolve him again. After all, we need to be prepared. We know nothing of this world. Ami, Takumi, remember when we went back to Under Zero and fought that tough Digimon?"

"Yeah…it was after that when your Digimon Digivolved to Mega." The boy sleuth nodded.

"At first I thought he just absorbed that guys power. But Keramon said he didn't feel that different after the fight. Rather he felt stronger gradually during it. He said it might have had something to do with me. So, I thought about what I was thinking during that battle. Then it hit me."

"What did?"

"I wanted to be stronger. No, not just that. I wanted strength that would let me save my friend, Yuugo, who I failed before. Strength that would let me fight alongside all of you. Strength that would let me atone for my mistakes. I had a theory then. Digimon are affected by the emotions of humans. That's what happened to the Digimon that was with Nishido, remember?"

"Yeah…Something weird like that happened with that guy who hatted cops…That other account thief too."

Fei looked back and forth from Arata and Takumi. "Wait, so you guys HAVE done this stuff before? When?"

"Yeah…can I get back to you on that one Fei?" Takumi sighed.

"Anyway, we did a little practice." Arata continued. "As lame as this may sound…I think my determination made him Digivolve."

"Determination…come to think of it, when Terriermon Digivolved earlier, he was in trouble, and I just thought that I needed to help him."

Ami looked at her partner. "When Palmon Digivolved…I was the one in danger, and she got hurt trying to save me. I just thought about what could have happened to her if I didn't do something."

Fei looked at FanBeemon. "And when this one transformed, all I had on my mind was taking action, and fighting that other Digimon."

"Hey, that's right!" Nokia said slapping her head. "I can't believe I forgot what those cute Digimon told me! My Digimon are held back if my feelings aren't with them!"

Arata nodded. "Exactly. Digimon aren't just programs. They think and feel like we do, just…differently."

Takumi took his Digivice off his head and looked at it. "Determination…" He closed his eyes and held the goggles to his chest. Meanwhile, everyone turned back at the sound of Raikou's roar as it smacked Kurisarimon into the destroyed antenna.

"He's losing ground! We gotta do something quick!" Ben said.

Takumi didn't respond. _"I…I want to help my friends…I want to find out what's going on in this world…I want to get to the bottom of this mystery!" _Suddenly the Digivice in his hand glowed yellow. Everyone turned to him.

Ami's eyes widened. "T-Takumi! That's just like before! Does this mean…?!"

The sleuth put the goggles over his eyes, and his hand glowed yellow. A screen appeared before him.

DIGIVOLUTION

He slammed his hand into it and the yellow light enveloped Terriermon. "Terriermon Digivolve to…Gargomon!"

Arata smirked as the others were amazed with the appearance of another Champion level. Takumi slid his goggles back up and smiled. "It worked!"

"Told ya!" Arata laughed as Kurisarimon flew over to him. He turned to Raikou, who had electricity crackling around him. "You ready?"

"You know it!" Takumi eagerly replied with Gargomon with him. "Let's do this!"

"Because we gotta!"

Gargomon and Kurisamon nodded as they charged towards Riakou. "Mach Rush!" Gargomon's fist rammed into Riakou's face, knocking it across the floor. It growled as it charged again.

"Destruction Cannon!" Kurisarimon shot a black sphere at, it. It exploded upon contact, stunning it further.

Raikou let out another roar before it dashed around the Digimon in all directions faster than anyone could keep track. Ami was trying to follow its movements but easily lost track. "Oh, no…even if their Digimon are stronger, Raikou is still too fast!"

Gargomon, and Kurisarimon turned around just as it was coming towards them. But suddenly a Porygon2 charged its beak into its side, knocking it over. Ben smirked with a thumb up. "Sorry to interrupt your grand showing, but I wasn't about to let you have all the fun."

Takumi laughed as he returned the gestor before turning to the downed opponent. "Let's wrap this up!"

Gargomon, charged at Raikou as it rammed his fist upward. "Dum Dum Uppercut!"

Raikou was flung into the air and left defenceless. Arata's Digimon flew right above it. "Data Crusher!" Kurisarimons tentacles slammed into it, knocking it back into the ground with a crash. It groaned as it got back up.

"Man, he's tough!" Gargomon groaned.

"Pichu!"

Ben's partner jumped in front of the Digimon combatants and faced Riakou. It started playing its Ukulele and small volts formed around it. The beast's actions ceased as it listened to the tune. Taking this opportunity, Ben spun his Styler around the Pokemon repeatedly until it's face looked more calm. "There! I think that did it!" Ben said. Raikou stood there, staring at Ben. Everyone become nervous about what it was going to do next. It lifted its head and roared. A bright light surrounded, it, blinding everyone.

"He's still raring for a fight, huh?" Arata asked.

Ben outstretched his hand in front of him. "Wait…" He squinted as something appeared above Raikou. Some kind of strange glowing yellow mark of light. "What is that?!"

"What's what?" Takumi asked.

"That figure! Nobody sees that?"

Rand stared the Pokemon but soon covered his eyes. "All I see is some bright light."

Ben's Styler's Voice Nav. activated. **"The strange figure has been observed. Please register the figure in the Styler."**

Ben looked up at the light, then drew it with his finger on the Styler's screen. As Raikou stared at him Ben slowly walked over. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Arata asked. "Don't get closer to that thing!"

But Ben ignored him and soon stood right in front of Riakou. He smiled as he petted its head. Riakou let out another, softer roar, as if approving before it quietly ran off.

"Welp, he's gone." Gargomon said.

"What was that bright light just now?" Ben asked.

Rand waved his hand in front of him. "Ben? What's wrong? You're just staring off into space. Did you see something in that light?"

"I saw something in the sky. It was like…some kind of…floating figure that appeared in that light." Ben said, showing what he drew.

"What? Hmmm…I didn't see anything."

"Probably just an optical illusion." Arata shrugged.

"Optical illusion? What kind of magic is that?" Agumon asked.

"It's when your eyes play tricks on you."

"Eyes can do magic tricks?" Gabumon asked.

"No, it's-Ugh, never mind."

"At any rate, we successfully calmed down Raikou." Rand said, facing everyone. "And we managed to liberate the Wireless Tower, which was our original goal. We were able to do it because of you kids."

Ben looked at his friends and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We really couldn't've pulled this one off without you guys. Thanks."

"Ha, ha, ha…It's been so many years since I've been able to say this!" Rand laughed. "Mission Clear!" Everyone watched as Ben and Rand performed their Ranger poses. Pichu played a triumphant tune.

"Hey, uh, not to burst anyone's bubble." Ami said. "But I don't know if we can call this a success. The Pinchers and their leader got away."

"Not to mention, the tower's a complete wreck." Fei added, glancing at the antenna.

Arata walked over to it and pulled out three screens. "Hmm…Yeah, most of it's functions are offline. But maybe I can salvage some of it from here…"

Rand watched as he fiddled around with the screens. "Uh, what's he doing?"

"Arata, is the best hacker I've ever meet." Ami said. "Let's leave this to him."

"I'm sorry, hacker?"

"Don't worry, he's kinda weird, but he's good guy." Takumi smiled. "Although he's still crazy enough to try to sneak into a Pincher infested tower on his own."

"Yeah, I don't the Cyber Sleuths who dove into the Mother Eater a second time for Suedou of all people when all their friends specifically told them not to should be judging me on craziness."

"You know what?" Nokia glared. "I think for once I'm on his side here."

"Hey, Alphamon thought it was a good idea." Takumi replied.

"Alphamon thinks wasabi in coffee is a good idea!"

Ben, Fei and Rand's eyes widened as they looked at Nokia. "I'm sorry, what?"

Arata winced as he continued working while bad memories of a near-death experience rose up. "Here we…what the?"

"What's wrong?" Rand asked.

"The power was cut, but not manually. Looks like it was done by some weird kind of program. Dang it. I don't think I can work around it."

"Anything we can do?" Ami asked.

"Not unless you can somehow jump inside this thing's systems, no."

Jump. The word rang familiarly in Takumi's ears. The he remembered what Yuuko said to Nokia before the experiment. She whispered it, but he was right next to them, so he heard it. "_Remember how Takumi and Ami had half cyber bodies? Think of it like sending someone in that state to this new world."_

"I'll have someone look at the extent of the damage later. Let's go back first, so nobody worries about us." Rand suggested.

"Wait." Takumi said walking up to the antenna. "Terrier-I mean Gargomon, can you come over here for a second?"

"Um, sure."

"Uh, Takumi? What are you doing?" Ben asked.

"I just want to try something." He extended his hand towards it and focused. "Connect Jump!" Suddenly a blue hole formed in front of him and he and Gargomon were sucked in. Everyone stared in amazement.

"What the-What just happened to him?!" Rand asked, turning to Ben.

"How should I know?!"

"No way…" Ami gaped. "He did it."

* * *

Takumi and Gargomon found themselves in area with a blue background and floors that looked like circuit boards. "No way! You got the Connect Jump to work?!" Gargomon asked. "How?!"

"Yuuko was right. I'm in a half cyber body. I guess that means I'm in a coma back at home." Takumi sighed. "Great. Poor mom's gonna freak out." He then glanced at the area. It looked like holes were burned into it. "Wow. Riakou really did a number on this place."

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

Both of them looked on ahead at the sound of a scream. "What was that?!"

"Sounds like trouble!" Gargomon said. "We'd better go help!"

Takumi nodded as they ran on ahead. After a minute or two they came across a Tokomon and a little white Digimon with big ears and a red triangle on his head being chased by a Sangloumon.

"What's going on?!" Takumi asked.

The Digimon spotted them and ran over, to hide behind them. Sangloumon, spotted them and growled. "More data! Must…DESTROY!" The Digimon, pounced on top of Takumi, pinning him down.

Gargomon, ran towards him as Sangloupmon looked ready to take a bite out of him. "Takumi!"

"Poison Ivy!" Thorns shot into the enemy Digimon's face, catching it off guard and knocking him off of Takumi. He got up and looked behind him to see Ami and Palmon run towards them.

"Takumi! Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, thanks. But when did you guys get here?"

"Just now. I Connect Jumped just like you." Ami replied before giggling. "Maybe Arata's right about us being crazier than him."

"Heh. Maybe a little."

A roar brought the attention back to Sangloupmon as it roared. "MUST DELETE! MUST DELETE!"

"What's his problem?" Gargomon asked.

Tokomon whimpered next to Takumi. "I don't know! Some weird lady came to the tower! Then this Digimon popped up and started destroying everything!"

"Weird lady? It must be the Pincher's leader from before!" Takumi said. He put on his goggles and looked at it. A screen came up on the lenses. "Sangloupmon. Champion Level Virus Type. A noble bloodsucking hound Digimon that can instiantly move to places by breaking down its data into packets."

"DESTROY! DESTROY!"

"That thing doesn't sound very noble!" Gargomon replied as Takumi and Ami got into fighting stances as Sangloupmon got closer.

"I won't let you do any more damage here! And I'm not leaving everything to Takumi either!" Ami declared. "I'll fight with you this time bro!"

Palmon stood next to Gargomon. "Yeah, even if I can't Digivolve I can still fight!"

Ami's goggles started to glow green. "Huh? This is…" she slid them over here eyes and a blue screen appeared.

DIGIVOLUTION

Takumi looked at it. "This is what happened before! Ami, your determination can make Palmon Digivolve!"

Ami and Palmon smiled at each other "Alright! Let's do this!" Ami yelled pressing the screen.

"Palmon Digivolve to…Togamon!" In a bright light, Palmon went to its own Champion form.

"Now we're talking!" Ami cheered.

Togaman stood next to Gargomon. "Ready?"

The rabbit Digimon pounded his hands together. "Let's get him!"

Sangloumon jumped back into the air. "Sticker Blade!" it spun into the air and small purple slicers came raining down towards them.

"Needle Spray!" Togamon shot a hail of pins, intercepting each of the projectiles.

Once Sangloupmon landed Togamon and Gargomon gathered electricity in their hands. "Ripping Net!" They threw the electricity at Sangloupmon stunning it. Gargomon ran up to it and uppercut the Digimon while firing its cannon. "Dum Dum Uppercut!"

Sangloumon flew into the air and then shattered into blue shards. Said shards flew into Takumi's hand. "Well…that's that." He said as Terriermon and Togamon converted back into Terriermon and Palmon.

Tokomon and his friend shyly walked over to them. "Umm…thank you."

Ami smiled and kneeled down to look at it with a warm smile. "No problem. What brings you here?"

"Calumon and I just want to go home…but we don't know how. So, we just hid in here. Then that Digimon showed up and…and…"

"We know the rest." Ami nodded before looking at the other Digimon. "So, you're…Calumon? I've never seen a Digimon like you before."

The white Digimon nodded. "I'm a one of a kind mon!"

"Aren't you peppy for someone who just looked at death in the eye. For now, let's get back to the others." Takumi suggested.

* * *

"So this…"Connect Jump" allows them to literally dive into networks?" Rand asked.

"That's the gist of it." Arata replied. His Digimon was also back to Rookie status. "Never thought I'd see them do it again."

"So, wait a minute." Fei said. "How long has this stuff been going on?"

"Well…"

Suddenly Takumi and Ami came out of the antenna. "There you guys are!" Ben said. "So, what happened?"

"A Digimon was rampaging inside the tower's systems." Ami replied. "We think that woman from before put him in there. Also…"

She brought up a screen and Calumon Tokomon was displayed on it. "Um…hello?" The pink one reluctantly spoke.

"Hiiiiiii!" Calumon waved with a sweet smile.

"Uh…Were one of these the thing that was "rampaging?" Rand asked with a sceptical look.

"No, no, this Tokomon and Calumon were hiding in there. They were attacked by it." Palmon replied.

"Aww, poor little guys. Are either of them hurt?" Nokia asked.

"They're fine, but Tokomon said he lost his friend, Lopmon." Takumi replied.

"What?! We'd better find…wait. Lopmon and Tokomon? Are they…?"

"Calumon?" Agumon asked. "This is the legendary Calumon? I thought he'd be a little bigger…"

"Legendary?" Takumi asked.

"Hang on a second." Arata said bringing his screens back up. "Let me see if…Jackpot! That Digimon was what was did it! The power's back online! For now, at least. Now let's see if I can…there!"

"Huh? What did you do?" Takumi asked.

"I got a network I was working on here back online. Try giving Kyoko a call."

Takumi brought his Digivice to his ear. A monitor displaying Kyoko appeared. There was a lot of static, and they could barley hear her voice. "Oh? You got the Digiline working."

"Kyoko! Well, more accurately Arata got it working."

"It's not perfect." Arata admitted. "And it's probably only working because we're in the tower right now, and who knows how long it'll last?"

Another screen showing Matayoshi appeared. "What's that? Sanada?"

Arata waved. "Hey."

"So, it was you Burkhart saw sneaking around. Jeez, you kids are reckless. Welp, still, it's good to see you're all right."

"_Never thought I'd hear the police say that to me."_ Arata thought to himself.

Another screen showing Date appeared. "What was all that flashing up there? Did something happen?"

"It's a long story." Ben said. "We'll tell you guys when we get back."

"Alright. Then hurry back."

With that they all went offline. "So, the last of your missing friends are Yuuko and Yuugo." Rand said.

"Assuming they even ended up here." Ami replied.

Arata crossed his arms. "They did. Before you guys got here I've been using the tower to scan for Digivice signals. Before the power was cut, I found both theirs. Couldn't get a fix on their location though."

"Try calling them." Fei suggested.

Ami brought her Digivece up. Soon a screen displaying Yuugo appeared. "Ami?"

"Yuugo! You're okay!"

"Yeah. Thank goodness. I couldn't get in touch with anyone. I was getting worried."

"Is Yuuko with you?" Fei asked. "We found everyone else that got sucked into this world."

"No…I tried calling her but no answer."

"Hang on." Nokia got her Digivice out and put it to her ear. "No good. She's not picking up."

Ben sighed as he lowered his Styler. "I can't get in touch with Summer either."

Arata looked back at the damaged tower. "They might be out of range. I only fixed some of the tower's functions. I don't think the signal will go that far. And even then, I only got it working for Digivices, not your world's gadgets. Never seen any of them before."

"Well, let's regroup with the others first." Rand said. "Yuugo, where are you right now?"

"I…don't know. I woke up in front of an old looking gate. It wouldn't open so I started walking around and just came across some kind of village on what appears to be a cliffside when you called. Oh, wait…I see a bridge. A long one. Looks like it stretches out to the island over there."

"Sounds like you're in Tilt Village. That isn't too far from where I live. Stay there. We'll come to you in a bit."

"Um, thanks, but…who are you?"

"This is Rand." Takumi explained. "He and Ben here are Pokemon Rangers."

"Poke…mon? Is that what those creatures I saw were?"

"Yup! Anyway, you just stay put for now, Yuugo!" Nokia smiled. "Oh! And stay away from the UFOs!"

Yuugo gave her a very strange look. "I'm sorry, the what?"

"Long, story, we'll catch up when we see you." Ami said. "Later." She ended the chat.

"Alright!" Nokia cheered. "With your Connection Jump back up and running we got the Cyber Sleuths back in action!"

"Cyber Sleuths?" Ben chuckled.

Takmui nodded. "Yup. That's what Ami and I are. Alright! Let's go!"

* * *

**FYI the info on Digimon the Digivices give are things I find when looking them up on DigimonWiki. Also Calumon as you could probobly tell is one of the exeptions to my Cyber Slueth Digimon only rule.**


	9. Chapter 9: A Promise to Rescue

**I do hope all of you are doing all right given the...current situation with the quarantine. Part of me still can't believe this is happening. You would think being stuck at home all week would mean I'd have this uploaded early, but I don't like the idea of breaking the consistency. Also (and I know this may sound like an excuse) this whole issue has just been, well...depressing. It made it hard for me to focus and write, but I'll be darned if I let that stop me from uploading on time! So as I stand strong, enjoy this chapter.**

**While unable to stop the destruction of the Wireless Tower, Ben and his friends did tame Raikou, thanks to Arata showing his friends the secret of Digivolution. Now able to use the power at will, Takumi and Ami found two young Digimon named Tokomon and Calumon inside the tower's network, using their unique skill, the Connect Jump. After contacting Yuugo, the team agrees to meet him at Tilt Village. However, as they leave, Ben thinks of the mysterious light he saw before Raikou left...**

* * *

Everyone was waiting for the team's safe return at the bottom of the tower. "Good work, everyone!" Leanne smiled. "We could see them fleeing from here."

"Ugh. I still can't believe we let those goons get away." Date said. "There were too many of them. They stormed past us."

"It couldn't be helped." Kyoko replied. "By the way, what was with the lightshow up there?"

"Raikou showed up." Takumi said. "It was ticked off and things got really dicey, but Arata showed up and we helped Ben catch it. Then a bright light came over it. Ben said he saw some kind of figure in the sky, but we didn't see anything."

Leanne and Kyoko turned to Ben. "After the capture, you saw a figure in the sky?" the archeologist asked.

Kyoko pondered. "Interesting. And only you could see it?"

"Bzzz…zzzz…Good work Rand!" Berkhart said as he and Matayoshi approached along with two Pinchers.

"Berkhart! Matayoshi! What's the deal with those Pinchers?" Rand asked.

"These two were the slowest to make their getaway." Matayoshi grinned. "We were just about to get the details on their little plan from them."

"Ha! That's Shinjuku Matagi for ya!" Ami laughed.

"Shinjuku Matagi?" Ben asked.

"Ah, that was my nickname in the force over ten years ago." The detective smiled. "But at any rate, where were we?" he asked, looking at the Pinchers. "Ah, yes, what did you rascals need to destroy the tower for?"

"We've told you a million times already…" one of them whimpered.

"We really don't know anything…" the other added.

Date cracked her knuckles. "I think you asked them too nicely sir."

Burkhart nodded. "I think they need another little shock like before!"

The Pinchers stepped back. "N-no anything but that! I swear, honest! We were only following our leader's orders!"

Arata whispered to Leanne. "Can you take your kid back inside? Or just out of earshot?"

"What are you-

"Just trust me on this." Leanne quietly lead Nema away and back towards the shed as Arata stepped forward. "Alright you clowns, here's how it's going to work. You're going to tell us who your leader is and what they're planning…" he then put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "And maybe goggles here won't lose his marbles."

Ben gave him a confused glance. "What?"

"Don't let that dopey face fool you. Once you get on his bad side you're gonna find yourself wishing you were never born! In fact, earlier one of your punk friends got on his nerves. And you know what this guy did to the poor loser?" Arata grinned. "He-

* * *

_**This threat has been removed so this story can keep its K+ ratting.**_

* * *

-just for funsies! He's a menace!"

Ben and the both of Pinchers had the most shocked look on their faces. "Wait, I did WHAT to WHO?!" the dumbstruck Ranger asked.

"DID YOU JUST SAY HE-

* * *

_**Once again, removed for the sake of keeping things K+ rated.**_

* * *

-JUST FOR FUNSIES?!

The other Pincher was shaking like a leaf. "…You…you monster! Looks really are deceiving…"

Fei was trying her hardest not to laugh. Most of the others just gave an uneasy look. Arata nudged Ben in the arm. "It's a little trick I learned from an old friend of mine, just go with it." he whispered. "Punks like these crack like eggs if you apply enough pressure, and it helps that they're scared of you Rangers. Play the part."

"O-okay…" Ben put on the most threatening face he could make before storming over to them. "Alright cough it up! Or I uh…you-know-what with…you-know-what!"

One of them cowered away. "Not you-know-what!"

One of them then glance back towards the tower. "Hey, look! A flying pizza!"

Burkhart pushed past Matayoshi and looked away. "Wh-what? Does it have onions?!"

The Pincher turned to his friend. "Now! Run! Before we get you-know-whated!"

"I hope it does. I like onions." Burkhart said as the Pinchers ran past him. He then looked back to see the Pinchers run off. "H-hey, wait! Get back here! Like pizza could fly! You tricked me!"

Ben sighed as he helped Matayoshi up. "Great, now I look like a complete savage for nothing. You okay sir?"

"I'll be fine."

"I'll chase you to the end of the world!" Berkhart yelled.

"Berkhart, wait!" Rand said. "Leave them to the Rangers and the Cyber Sleuths." He then turned to Kyoko, and Date. "You guys grab Leanne and Nema and go on ahead back to the house. Ben and I will take these guys and chase after the Pinchers."

"I'll go with you." Date said. "This time I won't let them slip!"

"Same here." Matayoshi nodded. "Kyo-Kyo, grab the girls and head back, we'll meet up later."

"Understood."

Rand turned to the others. "Let's go after those two!"

"Yeah, Ben's got some you-know-whating to do!" Nokia laughed.

"Can we please drop that?" the younger Ranger asked.

* * *

The Pinchers ran down the mountain and stopped at the grassy fields. "We've probably lost them by now."

"Thank goodness. I didn't want to get…Huh?" They saw, the Ranger and the Digimon tamers running towards them. "We can't get caught! Run!"

"After them!" Ben yelled as they dashed off. The Pinchers quickly got out of sight.

"Man, they're fast!" Date groaned. "Get back here so I can arrest you!"

Fei grinned at her. "Hey, you'd be running fast too if you were told a guy would-

"Not now!" Ben glared.

They continued they pursuit down another path, separate from the one leading back to Rand's house. Eventually they came to a shed, that the Pinchers were leaning against it. "Sorry, let me just catch my breath…I haven't run in ages and I'm not feeling too good."

"You're as white as a sheet. Well we were about to get-

"What's the matter? Are you feeling alright?" Rand asked.

Neither of the Pinchers were looking. "Well, actually, there were these terrible people, and we barley escaped."

"Wow, sounds rough." Matayoshi smirked. "What where they like?"

"Well most of them were kids. But there was a muscular ranger. And then there was another ranger! He's awful! He looked like an innocent kid but this one time he-

Ben's partner tilted his head. "Pichu?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's right, they had a Pichu with them too." Their eyes widened as they turned to their smirking pursuers. "I-it's you! Oh, real funny! I'm worn out, but our only option is to run!"

Rand noticed them run to a bridge. "That's Big Booker Bridge…They're heading for Tilt Village!"

"Well that's just…Wait…Tilt Village? Isn't that where Yuugo is?!" Nokia asked. "We gotta get there before they do!"

They hurried onto the bridge but soon spotted the Pinchers hiding behind a blond man with a red vest. "Who the heck is that guy with them?" Arata asked.

Ben's eyes widened. "You again!" Everyone stopped in front of the man.

"They're the guys we were just talking about!" one of the Pinchers yelled with a shaking finger pointed at them. "They followed us the whole way here!"

"Right." the man smirked. "Now, which one's this "savage" you kept going on about?"

"That one!" he said pointing at Ben.

The man looked slightly surprised to see Ben. He then turned back to the Pinchers. "I'm not the leader of your team. But of course, I'll help you out. Just leave this to me! You two just flee!"

"Okay! That's what we'll do, then!"

Once they were gone, he turned back to Ben. "You, the young ranger. I thought you looked familiar from somewhere. You're the one ranger we saw falling, right? You're still alive? Even after falling all the way to the ocean from the clouds!"

Ben clenched his fist with a sturdy glare at the man. "You punk!"

"Ben…is this the guy you told us about?" Takumi asked.

"Yeah! Summer and I were chasing after two Pinchers when he appeared! Where's Summer you creep?!"

The man shrugged. "Sorry. Can't tell you. Especially since you're a Pokemon Ranger. I know how good you Rangers really are. I don't know who the rest of you are, but the old guy dresses like a detective. That's why I know to be careful not to leak any information to you." He then smirked. "That being said…I'll take pity on you and tell you one thing: Summer…She's safe."

Ben's eyes widened in shock. Nobody knew what to say. "You…kidnapped her?!" Ami asked.

Rand was in disbelief. "I can't believe you managed to catch a Ranger…"

The man smirked. "You know what? I know said I wouldn't leak much but I like that look on your faces. One more little bit of info wouldn't hurt. See, Summer isn't our only captive."

"Hmph. How generous of you." Matayoshi said. "Who else did you abduct?"

"Some girl with black hair who was snooping around during a raid on Docle Island."

Takumi's eyes widened. "A girl with black hair…?"

"Yup. She didn't look like she was from around here though. The guards heard the jail birds chatting and got her name. What was it again?" the man asked glancing to the side with a hand on his chin. "It was a weird one…started with a y, I think?"

"Hold on a second, you creep." Fei said. "It almost sounded like you kidnapped Yuuko…"

The man's eyes lite up as he snapped his fingers. "That's it, Yuuko! That was her name. You know her?"

Arata was in shock. "What?!"

Nokia gasped. "You have Yuuko?!"

"What did you do to her you snake?!" Fei yelled.

"Tell me where Summer is!" Ben demanded. "I swear, if you even hurt one hair on that girl's head…!"

"Those stubborn girls have even given me trouble. No need to worry." The man grinned. "A rope wound a smidgeon on the tight side, and…"

Both Ben and Fei looked ready to snap.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"YOU SUNNUVA-

"Sheesh, calm down. I was just kidding." The man laughed holding his hands up. "We haven't done anything savage like that. The young ones are treating our guests with appropriate respect."

"Your hospitality doesn't sound so reassuring to me." Takumi glared. "I don't care who you are! Hurt any of my friends and I'll-

"Well, now…There's important work to be done so I'll be going." The man said turning around.

"GIVE SUMMER BACK!" Ben yelled running down the bridge.

"Ben! Wait!" Rand warned.

"Ah, yes, I'd like to give you a good-bye present." The man said, pointing his Control Gauntlet at him. "Enjoy!" With the press of a button, four Voltorbs flew out in front of Ben.

"BEN!" Rand shot his Styler and drew loops around the younger Ranger. "Everyone, get down!"

All the Voltorbs exploded simultaneously. A huge hole was blown in the bridge. Ben was flung back but unharmed. Rand's Styler landed next to him in pieces. The man withdrew his fainted Voltorbs and boarded his red Z.Z. Flyer. "See you later!" He then flew of.

Ben got up and watched him leave. "WAIT!"

"You coward…" Fei glared. "Get back here!" Suddenly Fei's Digivice glowed a bright blue. She took it out and a screen was displayed in front of her.

DIGIVOLUTION

"FanBeemon, Digivolve too…Waspmon!"

Fei jumped onto her Champion level Digimon. "Quick! After him!"

"Right!"

"Fei, wait!" Ignoring Takumi, they flew of after the man.

Rand sighed and turned to Ben who was on his knees in front of the hole. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to make them tell us their plans, but at least we know Summer and Yuuko are safe."

"You have a strange sense of what's safe, you know that?" Date asked.

"Let's just pry that punk's telling the truth about that." Matayoshi said grimly.

At the sound of a roar, Terriermon turned around. "Hey, look out!"

Everyone but Ben moved aside. Raikou came by and jumped over Ben. The Ranger watched in awe as it effortlessly jumped the hole. "Wasn't that, Raikou?" Palmon asked. "He's still after them?"

"As much as I hate to say it, our only hope is leaving this to Fei and Raikou for now." Matayoshi said. "We can't cross the bridge. Let's head back to Rand's house and tell Kyo-Kyo what happened."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Takumi walked over to Ben and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey…We'll save her, I promise. Right now, we just need to think about how we can do that."

Ben was silent for a bit before he stood back up. "…Okay."

Everyone started walking back. Ben glanced in the direction the man fled in one last time. "Summer…"

* * *

Yuugo sighed as he sat on a rock alone. "They're taking so long. Did something bad happen? Why is it that I'm so powerless whenever something comes up…Hmm?" He heard a laud boom from towards the bridge. Then he spotted two people dressed in green and got up. "Hey, what was that explosion? Did something happen?"

"Sorry, kid, can't talk right know, gotta run!"

Yuugo watched them run past him before looking back towards the bridge. He saw a blond man on a flying machine zoom past him. "Whoa! What the…is that one of the UFO's Nokia was talking about?"

"There he is! Don't let him get away!"

Yuugo looked back again to see a huge bee Digimon fly by. As it passed he saw a familiar face. "Fei…?" After watching for a bit, he ran after them.

* * *

Rand, and Takumi were the first to enter the house. The others followed behind with a disheartened Ben at the end. "We're home." Rand waved.

Kyoko, Nema and Leanne were inside. "Welcome baaack!" the young scientist sang.

"You must be tired." Leanne said. "Ben, what's wrong?"

Ami sadly glanced at Ben as he looked away. "Are you okay?"

"I…I'm sorry. I need to be alone for a bit."

Everyone watched as Ben left. After sighing Arata turned to Takumi and Ami. "Hey, think you two can talk to him? You guys seem to have been together for a while. He might listen to you."

"Okay." The boy nodded as he and his sister left.

"Rand, what's going on?" Leanne asked.

Rand walked over to the far side of the table. "When were chasing the Pinchers…"

* * *

Ben sighed as he looked into the sky. "Hey, Ben?" The Ranger didn't turn to his friends as they approached. "Are you feeling alright?" Ami asked. "I'm sure your partner is fine but…I can tell you're really worried."

"Summer…she was my best friend growing up. We entered Ranger school together. We wanted to see the world and all kinds of Pokemon. I was so exited when we become Top Rangers and got assigned this mission. And I let myself get careless…I couldn't even protect her…"

Takumi sighed. "If it helps…I know how you feel."

"Oh, really? Did you lose your friend right in front of your eyes and live with the fact that you did nothing to stop it from happening?"

"As a matter of fact…yes."

Ben finally glanced back at them.

"Eight years ago, during a demo we were invited to…that was when we first stumbled upon the Digital World. When we got there we had the time of our lives playing with Digimon. We never wanted to leave. But when we were finally about to…it appeared."

"It?"

"It blocked the only exit. We were so scared." Ami said. "We didn't know what to do…Yuugo was so brave to suggest what he did."

"Yuugo? That guy from before?"

"He lead it away from us so we could escape…but he was devoured. We wanted to help him but…we were too afraid and ran."

"W-what?!"

"We thought since it was all virtual it wasn't real." Takumi continued. "That Yuugo was safe and sound back home…but he didn't wake up. He spent eight years in a coma. And the worst part was, we were forced to forget it. When we remembered and learned that our actions there doomed the Digital World…the guilt came crashing down like a tidal wave. Arata took it the worst. We nearly lost him too."

"Takumi…Ami…"

"But we didn't give up!" the boy continued with fierce determination in his eyes. "We kept fighting to save him and Yuugo! And we did! We took back what we lost from the Eaters! And we're going to take back Yuuko and Summer from the Pinchers! Ben to do that, we need you. So please, for your friend and ours…" he extended his hand. "Will you help us…Pokemon Ranger?"

A smile slowly made its way to Ben's face as he took his hand into his. "You got it…Cyber Sleuth."

* * *

"That's terrible." Leanne said as Rand finished his report.

"It seems they don't want us leaving this island." Kyoko said. "Perhaps they're operating on Mitonga."

"Or maybe there is something else of high value there they don't want us getting our hands on." Matayoshi said. "Might have to do with the Monument piece they stole."

"Hey, maybe we can barrow a boat from Booker!" Terriermon suggested.

Nema shook her head from the counter she was at, fixing her father's Styler. "The ocean current there is very fast, so we can't go by ship…"

"We could get a Pokemon's help, but lately I haven't seen any Staraptor for some reason." Rand said with his arms folded, looking down.

"As annoying as it is to admit, it looks like our only choice is to wait until that bridge is fixed." Matayoshi sighed.

"I think I'll ask Booker to fix it." Rand said. "He did design it after all."

"Oh? And here I thought the name "Big Booker Bridge" was coincidental." Keramon replied with a sarcastic tone.

Ben then returned, with, Takumi and Ami. "Hey, guys."

"Feel better?" Rand asked.

Ben nodded. "Sorry, I got your Styler busted."

"Don't worry, Nema's looking at it now."

"Do you mind if I ask a question?" Leanne asked. "After you captured Raikou, you mentioned something about seeing a figure appear, right? Do you remember the shape?"

Ben nodded before turning to the others. "Nobody else saw it?" They all shook their heads. "I have it saved in the Styler." He said bringing up a screen that displayed his drawing.

Leanne got a closer look. "It looks like some kind of Emblem."

Kyoko smiled. "Interesting. This calls for a little research. Nema, can I barrow your computer?"

"Go right ahead."

Leanne went straight upstairs. "I'll see if I can find something too."

"Once Mom goes into her library, she won't be back for a while." Nema sighed. "I guess I have to make dinner."

Rand grinned at her. "Food and experiments are different, so please try to make something normal, Nema."

There was a knock on the door and Burkheart stepped in. "Rand, are you home?"

"Hey, it's the funny, buzzing guy!" Agumon said.

"What's the matter, Burkheart?" Rand asked.

"Unfortunately, I'm no longer a walking battery." The man sighed. "I looked at the Wireless Tower after everyone left. Everything from the wiring to the antenna is a mess. It's going to take a really long time to fix."

Nokia just stared at him. "Sooooooooo…?"

Rand sighed. "So even if we want to bring information to the Union, we can't. Because we can't communicate wirelessly. Right now, just gather whomever you can and start working on repairs. I'll meet up with you soon, too."

Berkheart nodded. "Leave it to me. Rand."

After he left Rand walked over to Ben. "Ben…I'm going to check out the situation, at the Wireless Tower. I'd like you to ask Booker to repair the bridge."

"Alright."

He then turned to Nema. "Nema. I'm going to the Wireless Tower. Please look after the house."

"Leave it to me! I'll have your Styler fixed soon, too! Take care, Papa!"

"We'll be here too, Rand, don't worry about a thing." Matayoshi added.

"Thanks." Rand smiled before he left.

Nema turned to the Ranger. "Take care too, Ben! After you ask Booker to fix the bridge, come here, okay? Mom should be finished with her research by then."

Ben smiled with a thumb up and left. Arata, then walked over to Nema. "Say, mind if I help? I want to get a good look at these Stylers and compare them to our Digivices."

"Oh, yes, defiantly! I want to see these Digivices, too! Oh, but I also got to make dinner."

"Eh, you just worry about your dad's gadget kid." Date said. "I can handle cooking."

Kyoko laughed. "It's like we've been one big team all along."

"Just because we're away from home doesn't mean the Kuremi Agency stops working." Ami smiled.

Takumi smiled and nodded. "It's time to get to work!"

* * *

**I seriously hope those who played Hackers Memory got the reference with Arata's threat, that was one of my favorite parts of that game.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Sign of a Guardian

**Chasing the Pinchers towards Tilt Village, the team encounter the leader of the Pokemon Pinchers with red eyes who shot Ben out of the sky at the beginning of his mission. The man informed Ben and his allies that he has taken Ben's Partner Summer as well as the last of the missing from Takumi and Ami's World Yuuko prisoner, before ensuring that the young heroes would not follow by destroying the Big Booker bridge. Despite this, our friends seek to find a way ****across to Mitonga ****Island.**

* * *

Booker stood with wide eyes and his mouth agape. "What? The Big Booker Bridge?!" Ben nodded. He was In Booker's house talking to him. "There's no time to waste!" Booker darted out of the house at a speed that startled Ben and Pichu.

"Whoa! And I thought those Pinchers were fast."

"That bridge is one of the works my boss is really proud of." Nick said. "Hey, Ben. How has the ukulele been working since that time? Since I fixed it, has it stopped making sound? Or, on the other hand maybe the sound is too loud…"

"Here we go again." Ben sighed as Pichu strung the instrument.

"Picchu!"

"See? It's fine! You did a great job."

"Oh, that's good. The sound it makes is appropriately ukulele-ish."

"Ukulele-ish?"

Nick nodded. "But usually, it should make a more sustained sound, shouldn't it? I'd like to adjust the ukulele a little bit, but…"

"Ho, boy…"

"If an amateur like mw adjusts it, Do might become Mi or Fa might become Re. Or even worse, So might become flat, like Sa, or Ti might become something sharp, like Di…"

"Pichu!" The yellow Pokemon walked over to Nick and turned around showing the ukulele on it's back.

"Pichu? You'd leave this in the hands of a guy like me?" A smile rose on Nick's face. "Thank you! I'll do my best." Nick took the ukulele and went straight to work.

* * *

Arata was looking at a screen displayed by what Nema fixed of Rand's Styler. "So, this is a Browser? It lists all the Pokemon Rand encountered."

Nema was looking at Arata's Styler. "And this is called a Field Guide? It's like a Browser for Digimon."

"Yeah. It's weird. The Digimon Capture is still gone, but the Field Guide was there after I came to this world."

A smile rose on Nema's face. "That gives me an idea."

* * *

Nick returned with the ukulele. "Thanks for waiting! Come here Pichu!"

The Pokemon bounced over to Nick so he could put the ukulele back on. "I wanted to adjust the ukulele so it made a more sustainable sound, making the music last longer. I think it will help you with your capture even more than before!"

Pichu demonstrated by playing a song. This time going on longer than normal. "Pichu Pichu!"

Ben smiled. "Thanks, Nick."

* * *

Ben alongside Pichu walked back towards Rand's house. "Looks like Booker will be devoting himself to the bridge. While the sooner it's fixed the better, I hope the poor old guy doesn't-

"Biiii!"

Ben looked to his left to see Celibi fly in next to him. Before he could say a word, a bright light surrounded him. Pichu watched in horror as his friend disappeared.

* * *

Back in Cocona Village-or rather Cocona Plaza, two people stood in front of the gate with a face. A bulk man with red hair and a goatee and a woman with silver hair. Ben landed behind them.

"Ravio was right." The man said. "The door is usually open, but now it's closed…What's happening inside the temples?"

Both of them turned around when Celebi flew over to them. "Celebi, where have you been?" the woman asked. "Ravio's been looking for you." She then spotted Ben. "Huh? Who's this person?"

"Uh…hi." Ben waved.

The tall man looked at him. "Those cloths…You must be Ben, right?"

"How do you know my name?"

"Ravio's told us about you. My name is Tanvir."

"My name is Kira." The woman greeted. "I guess more of Celebi's mischief has brought you back here."

"Yeah…I noticed."

Celebi grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him towards the gate. "Bi! Biiii!"

"Uh, something wrong?"

"Celebi! I can't turn a blind eye this time." Tanvir said.

"Biiii!"

Kira grabbed Celibi from behind. "Celebi! You should behave!"

"Bi…"

Tanvir sighed. "Sorry for the trouble, Ben. I heard you're called a Pokemon something, right?"

"Pokemon Ranger."

"I'd imagine you don't have time to play games with Celebi. Besides…"

He and Kira turned back to the gate. "We don't have time to waste." The woman said. "The Pokemon are acting up lately. We were here to consult with the temple oracles. Then…We found out the door's closed. It's usually open…That worries us…"

"Ben, please forgive Celebi." Tanvir said. "Let's both go back to what we have to do in our own times."

Kira turned to the Pokemon. "Celebi…Travel through time to send Ben back."

Ben looked at Celebi's sad face as it raised its head and another light engulfed him.

* * *

Poor Pichu was wandering back and forth worryingly ever since Ben vanished. But when a light appeared overhead and Ben landed in front of him he jumped into the Ranger's arms.

"Heh, heh! Sorry, pal! Looks like I had ya worried." He then thought back to Celebi. _"Was it really just for laughs? I felt like Celebi was trying to tell me something…"_

"What's that sound?" He looked back to the house to see Nema and Nokia run up to him. "Oh, Ben! Nice timing. Mom and Kyoko just finished their research! Also, Arata and I have something to show you!"

"Rand just got back too! Come on in!"

"Right."

As Ben walked inside, Takumi and his otherworldly friends were looking at their Digivices. "Ah, Ben, good timing." Arata smiled as he approached. "Nema and I just finished something interesting. Mind If I see your Styler for a minute?"

"Sure." Ben took the disk off and handed it to Arata who was holding a chip. "What's that?"

"A new software that'll help you out."

Ben's Styler started acting up. **"Installation of software not developed by Ranger Union is a major warranty violation."**

"Warranty violation? What are you, a household appliance?" Arata asked, inserting the chip. "There."

Once he handed it back to Ben the Ranger reattached it to his arm. "So, what's this software for?"

"Try looking at your Browser."

Ben pulled up the menu and opened the Browser. Upon doing so he was given two options. One for Digimon and one for Pokemon. "Huh?" he touched the Digimon option, and saw a list of the Digimon he saw so far.

"We have our own kind of Browser for Digimon. This will help you learn more about the Digimon you encounter. The info might help you down the road."

Takumi held up his Digivice. "Arata and Nema gave us software to get info on Pokemon we meet."

"I see. Thanks, Arata. Nema."

"Don't just thank us!" Nema smiled as she ran over to her computer. "Thank my new assistants!"

She turned the monitor to show Tokomon and Calumon staring at them. "Hello!" Tokomon bounced.

"Hey, guys! Did you see the new program?" Calumon asked. "We worked super duper hard on it ya know!"

"Aren't those the Digimon that Takumi and Ami found in the tower?" Ben asked.

Nema nodded. "Yup! Tokomon is telling me all kinds of cool things about the world he came from! He call's it the Digital World! And Calumon is telling me about Digivolution."

"Digital World?"

Tokomon nodded. "Yup! It's where we Digimon live! Nema is telling us all kinds of things about Pokemon too! This is so cool!"

Calumon jumped up and down. "Yeah! I thought another world would be supper scary, but I'm having so much fun!"

Ben smiled at the enthusiasm. At times like these he needed to see some smiles.

* * *

Once everyone got around to sitting down and eating, Leanne and Kyoko brought up their findings. "We don't understand everything yet, but we know the meaning of the figure." Leanne explained. "I had a feeling about this, so I was pretty fast, huh? This is what we know."

"First, let us explain what is inscribed on that monument, you found." Kyoko said as she brought up a document she downloaded onto her Digivice. "O Chosen One, whose heart is one with Raikou. Draw the Emblem of light, hold it towards the heavens, and Raikou will assist thee."

"Emblem of light?" Ben asked. "Is that what I saw?"

"So, wait, the fact that only you can see it means you're some kind of chosen hero or something?" Arata asked.

"What's important is that the figure is a symbol of Raikou's approval." Leanne explained. "Maybe it would be better to call it an Emblem. So, drawing that Emblem in the sky let's you receive Railou's help. Doesn't this remind you of something?"

"It's like the Pokemon Ranger's capture." Nema said raising her hand.

Kyoko smiled. "Exactly, Nema. Communicating by drawing a figure is just like a capture. I think Ben's Styler can call out Raikou just like the Hero's of Legend did in the past."

Ben was so surprised he immediately sat up. "We can summon Raikou with this?!"

"Hey…when we last saw Raikou it jumped the hole in the bridge!" Takumi smiled. "If we can get its help, we can cross it and go after the Pinchers!"

"I don't think the Styler has any functions like that, though…" Rand said.

Arata walked over to Ben. "So, what? We just need to make it one. You thinking what I'm thinking, Nema?"

"You mean building a special circuit, so it can create a special wavelength that can reach Pokemon…"

"Yeah, you get the idea. Might be faster to do it then explain it to everyone."

Nema nodded and walked over to Ben. "We're borrowing your Styler, okay?"

Ben's voice nav acted up again. **"Unapproved modification, is a major warrant-**

"Yeah, yeah, whatever household appliance." Arata groaned taking the Styler out of the gauntlet on Ben's arm. "Sheesh, this thing's like a mother hen."

"It'll be over quick, and it won't hurt. Just tough it out." Nema chirped. "Maybe parts, taken from the broken Z.Z. Flyer will be useful! Give us just five minutes!" She went to her computer. "Tokomon, Calumon, you help too!"

"Okay!"

She pulled out a flash drive the Digimon were stored in and hurried over to the next room with Arata.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Date asked.

"Arata's a troublemaker but he's got a lot of knowledge for this kind of thing." Matayoshi said. "And that Nema girl seems to know what's she's doing."

BOOOOM

Everyone was startled by an explosion followed by Arata's voice. "Jeez, Nema! How about putting warning labels on some of these things before somebody gets killed!"

"I've been meaning to, but who has the time?"

Everyone sighed in exasperation. "Amazing how kids can know so much and still not know much about common sense." Date muttered. "By the way, you kids tried getting hold of Fei and Yuugo?"

"No dice. Communications are down." Takumi sighed. "Arata warned us that what he did was temporary."

* * *

After a few minutes Arata and Nema returned. "Okay! Exactly five minutes!" Nema said. "I'm sure it will work well."

"Thanks." Ben said, reattaching the Styler.

"Just don't drop it, spill anything on it or expose it to sunlight for too long, or it'll go off like a nuclear device." Arata warned. Everyone glanced worryingly at the Styler. Leanne, Takumi and Rand slowly backed away from Ben. Ami and Nokia hid under the table. After a moment of silence Arata and Keramon and Nema broke into a fit of laughter. "Ha, ha, ha! I'm just messing with ya! Man, the look on your faces!"

"I can't believe they actually fell for that!" Arata's Digimon laughed.

"Real mature." Takumi said, rolling his eyes.

Ben's Voice Nav. booted up. **"Call Pokemon by Drawing Fun Signs with Lines Mode…has been newly added."**

"Before any of you ask, she named it." Arata said pointing to Nema.

"Can't we just have a normal name?" Ami asked. "Like, I don't know. Sign Mode?"

"That's boring!" Nokia replied.

Nema sighed. "Anyway, draw a Sign in this mode, and the Emblem that calls the Pokemon is projected in the sky. Hurry up and give it a try!"

"Let's head outside first." Palmon said. "I think this house has seen enough damages."

"Yeah, if it's all the same to you guys my insurance is already sky high." Rand added, pointing up. "Also, I know you're all in a hurry, but maybe this can wait until tomorrow? It's getting late."

"Sounds like a plan." Leanne replied. "We got some sleeping bags and pillows you can all use."

"Wait." Everyone turned to Kyoko. "First there is something I want to ask my assistants."

"What's wrong?" Takumi asked.

"It's about these Digimon. You seem surprisingly adapt to them. Almost like you've meet them before. I can't help but find that curious."

"Yeah, she's got a point." Date said. "Are you kids hiding something from us!?"

Arata and Nokia looked at each other nervously. Ami scratched her cheek with her finger. A habit she and her brother shared. "Well…heh, heh…uh…"

"You kid's haven't been doing anything crazy, have you?" Matayoshi asked.

"What is it your hiding?" Kyoko asked. "I find it odd, that you would keep secrets about this sort of thing."

"…Fine. I'll say it."

Everyone turned to Takumi in surprise. Arata put a hand on his shoulder. "Uh, buddy, maybe we shouldn't-

"No! They need to know!" the sleuth replied. "They need to know they can trust Digimon! And…they deserve to know."

"Something tells me this is going to be a long story." Rand said.

"I'll tell you…but I wouldn't be surprised if none of you believe me."

"We'll see." Kyoko said. "Tell us first."

Takumi sighed. "This isn't the first time humans encountered Digimon. But only six of us remember it."

* * *

Takumi went on explaining everything. The EDEN demo eight years ago. Eaters. He and his sister developing Half-Cyber bodies and meeting Aphamon in Kyoko's body. Working as Cyber Sleuths. The Royal Knights. Suedou. And how the world transformed. Nobody said a word until Takumi was finished. "…and that's why none of you remember it." Everyone was trying to process what they heard.

"Yyyyyyyyyyyeah…You sure you didn't just hit your head against something at the tower?" Date squinted.

"I know, I know. I don't have any proof, so I don't blame you for not believing it. That's part of why we never told anyone."

"Hmmmm…" Matayoshi thought before speaking. "Part of me doesn't. But it's the only explanation we have so far."

Takumi, Ami, Arata and Nokia looked at him in surprise. "You mean…?"

"Well, with everything that's already happened…. Perhaps a detective shouldn't say he's ready to believe anything, but let's just say I'm keeping my mind open!" he laughed.

Kyoko was in thought herself. "So, this Alphamon, found my body after I was diagnosed with EDEN Syndrome and used it to help you…"

"Yes…I…I hope you don't think lowly of her." Ami said looking down. "She had no choice. The Eaters were a ginormous threat to Humans and Digimon, she needed to do something."

Kyoko simply smiled. "Who said I blame her? You said her data synched with my mind perfectly. And her investigations were connected to my own. Perhaps it was destiny that we became one."

"Destiny…heh, heh. Alphamon said the same thing."

"And besides, I should be grateful. Had she not merged with my body and met, you I wouldn't have my crazy, yet helpful little assistants."

Takumi and Ami laughed bashfully.

"And on that note, let's get some rest. We have work to do tomorrow. Let's not waste the opportunity Alphamon provided."

"Right!" Takumi smiled. "Doggedly and with all my might, exabit endurance like a hard black iron."

"What the heck was that?" Ben asked. "Some kind of poem?"

"It's the Kurumi, Detective Agency moto silly!" Ami smiled.

"I have no idea what any of that meant but…" Ben chuckled. "I take it you two are raring to go. That's a good sign."

* * *

"That's it! Hold her legs down!"

"Ow! OW! Get off of me!"

Two Pinchers were holding Summer's legs, keeping them bent while another was tethering the rope around her ankles to the rope around her wrists. A fourth Pincher was slumped to the floor.

"Just keep her still for a bit longer…There!"

"What are you doing?! Stop!"

The Pinchers stepped away from Summer, who was now struggling in a hog tie. One of them looked at the Pincher on the floor. "You alright?"

"Ngh…I think so…ow…"

The four of them left and locked the door. Yuuko was still on the floor, and tied up as well, but not nearly as harshly as Summer. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ngh…they tied me more…securely. It hurts just to squirm…maybe kicking that guard wasn't a good idea. I don't think I could be in any more discomfort right now."

"A giant bolder blocks the way. If you can pass go ahead I say." Just outside their cell a Pincher was singing with the worst sighing voice Yuuko and Summer have ever heard.

"There he goes again." Yuuko sighed.

"I stand corrected." Summer groaned. Both girls wished their hands were untied if only so they could cover their ears.

"This is the fifth time…What is this "Entei" he's singing about anyway?"

"You never heard of Entei? It's a legendary Pokemon. Though I wonder how this guy came across this song…Could it mean that Entei is in this region?"

* * *

_Ben could see a ceiling. There was a lamp over him. He didn't know what to think. After all he was less then a year old. He laid in his cradle wrapped in a blanket._

_Suddenly he heard footsteps. A hooded figure leaned over his crib and looked over him. Ben couldn't see his face, but the man reached a hand over to him. Ben's small hand touched one of his fingers. _

* * *

"Ben! Hey, Ben!"

The Ranger groggily sat up. "Mph…Takumi?"

"Finally. And everyone thinks I sleep in all the time. Come on, everyone's waiting to see you test out that Sign Mode."

"Huh? Oh, right. I'm coming."

As Takumi left, Ben put his goggles on. _"It's weird. I'm still having that dream. The one of that day. My parents told me they came into my room and saw a strange person looking at me and then…Disappear. What was that all about? When Summer was a baby, she saw a strange man too…"_

Everyone gathered out in the field. "Alright, Ben let's see it!" Nokia cheered. "Summon Raikou here!"

"Okay…here goes." Ben closed his eyes and let the image of the sign appear in his mind. He could see Raikou. Hear its cry. It was calling him. Ben's eyes snapped open as he jumped high into the air. He Shot his Styler downward and swiftly drew the figure in midair. "Raikou, come forth!" Everyone was blinding by a flash of lightning. Where it struck, Raikou stood. Ben landed on the creature's back riding it.

Everyone was shocked into silence. Matayoshi was the first to say a word. "Incredible…"

Rand was taken aback. "I…I don't believe what just happened! That's Nema and Arata for you!"

"Looks like Kyoko and Leanne are right on their breakthrough." Arata added.

"To be honest, I didn't entirely believe it myself." The archaeologist admitted. "But now that Raikou actually appeared, I think our hypothesis wasn't that far off."

Kyoko thought to herself before speaking. "I had a thought. There are children's songs passed down in Oblivia. There is one of a folktale about a hero who called on Raikou's strength to save Oblivia. Perhaps this is how they called upon Raikou. To think we brought a legend back to life in this world…"

"Raikou was going completely wild when we first me it." Takumi said. "Now look how calmly it's letting Ban ride him. When he caught him his feelings of friendship and trust must have really reached its heart."

"Makes sense." Agumon said. "Remember what Arata said back at the tower? Human emotions can affect Digimon. Maybe Pokemon are the same?"

"It's a little strange though." Nema said. "They didn't have Stylers in the past."

"You know what?" Nokia asked. "I don't think the hero needed them! I bet their bonds with Pokemon were strong without them! Maybe Arata and Nema's tinkering of the Styler restored the bond Raikou once had with humans!"

"Yeah, we're amazing!" Nema boasted. "But I wonder if this might be the reason. Ben happens to have the same pure, strong feelings of friendship for Pokemon that the ancient Hero had."

"Do you two have any idea how corny you sound?" Arata asked.

"It might be a little of both." Kyoko said.

Rand nodded. "In other words, we were able to call Raikou because of the combination of the improved Styler and the strength of friendship that Ben already possessed."

"That has to be it!" Nema smiled. "Ben, Arata and I are awesome!"

Leanne laughed. "Heh, heh, heh. Oh, Nema."

"I agree." Ben smiled. "This is our new strength!"

"I suppose so." Kyoko said. "This figure…no, a sign that can call a legendary guardian of Oblivia. A Guardian Sign."

"Now, _that's_ a good name!" Takumi smiled.

Suddenly Nema started singing. "A deep, deep valley blocks the way. If you can cross, go ahead I say. The scary valley likes to brag, "No one can cross my rocky crags!" What nonsense speaks the silly valley? For Great Raikou it's one bound. Hero on it's back, just one bound."

"What was that all about?" Date asked. "Some kind of poem?"

"It's a song sung in the Oblivia region. I don't know how many there are in all, but this is the first one! Ralph taught it to me."

"So, with this we have a means to chase the Pinchers at Mitonga Island." Matayoshi said.

"Yes, but there is one small problem." Kyoko said. "Not all of us are going to fit on Raikou. At best two others can go with you…Takumi, Ami. I want you two to travel with Ben for now."

"Awww! We're getting left behind?" Nokia asked.

"Wait, Nokia! I just thought of this now!" Gabumon said. "If I Digivolve to Garurumon I bet I can keep up with Raikou! I think I can carry both you and Arata! I might not be able to make that jump while carrying you two, but if I can get to the bridge Raikou and Ben can get Ami and Takumi across, and then come for the rest of us!"

"That's a great idea!" Nokia said holding up her Digivice. "Let's go! No way I'm leaving all the fun with Takumi and Ami again!" Her Digivice glowed pink and a blue screen appeared in front of her.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Gabumon Digivolve to…Garurumon!"

"Alright! Come on, geek boy, let's go!"

Arata sighed as he and Nokia mounted Garurumon. Their Agumon and Keramon grabbed hold of them. Takumi and Ami climbed onto Raikou with Ben. "This is a very dangerous mission." Matayoshi said grimly before he smiled. "But you kids have already surprised me. I bet you can do the job. Date Kyoko and I will continue to gather information here."

"There are times you have to act, even though you know it's reckless." Leanne said turning to Rand. "Isn't that right dear?"

"That's only at a certain moment. Those times don't come that often. I wish I could come but Nema will need some more time to fix my Styler. In the meantime, I'll go help out at the tower. Ben, everyone, please, be carful…"

"There are songs for other Pokemon besides Raikou." Kyoko said. "If the legend of the Hero is something that really happened, I bet you'll find more Guardian Signs. Leanne and I will do some more research."

Pichu jumped onto Ben's back. Ben smiled as he faced the path ahead. "Everyone ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's go!"

In a flash Raikou hurried down the road. Garurumon followed close behind.

* * *

Back on the Big Booker Bridge Booker, put his case of tools down and sighed looking at the hole in front of him. "Kids these days need ta be more careful. How did they even-

"Hey, Booker!"

Ben stopped Raikou in front of them man. The bulder's eyes widened at the sight of the Pokemon. "Oh! The Hero of Oblivia! The Hero who saved Oblivia when it was in a heap o' trouble…?" He then got a better look on the ridders. "…Why, it's Ben Takumi and Ami, ain't it? I thought I'd wandered into the world of the legend of Oblivia! I have no clue 'bout that's goin' on, but you're lookin' fightly sharp!"

"Hey, wait for us!" Nokia, and Arata came from behind and climbed off of Garurumon and let him revert back to Gabumon. "Sheesh! Slow down a little, next time, will ya?!"

"Alright…" Ben said looking at the gap. "We'll jump first. Then I'll let Takumi and Ami, off and come back for you."

"Wait…" Arata said. "I want to try something that might save time."

"Yeah? What's up?" Arata walked over to Ben and looked at his Styler. He held his hand out towards it. "Uh…what are you-

"Connect Jump!" Suddenly a blue hole formed in front of Ben's Styler and Arata his Digimon were sucked into it.

"What the-This is what happened to Takumi and Ami!"

"No way!" Nokia gapped. "Wait, let me see if I can do it!" she ran up to the Ben and held her hand out. "Connect Jump!" She, Agumon and Gabumon were sucked into the gadget as well.

"No way! You guys can Connect Jump now!?" Ami asked.

"Come to think of it, they're in the same state as us, so it makes sense." Takumi said.

Arata's voice came from the Styler. "Ow! Nokia, get your foot off my face!"

"How about you get your face off my foot!"

"Uh…are you alright in there?" Ben asked, looking at his Styler.

"Yeah, just kinda cramped." Arata replied. "Well, then again, Nema and I did just install a lot of software in this thing. I wouldn't recommend trying to do this with more than two or three people."

"Well, looks like we can all cross, now." Ben said. "Hold on tight!"

Raikou charged and jumped the hole in the bridge effortlessly. Then another hole up ahead. The blond man must have made extra perceptions. An even bigger one was up ahead at the end of the bridge. But Raikou jumped across it as well. Once they were across, Ben, Takumi and Ami, dismounted.

"Thank, you Raikou!" Ben waved as the Pokemon went back across the bridge. Suddenly his Styler flashed and, Arata, Nokia and their Digimon all came pouring out and landed in a heap.

"Let's never do that again." Gabumon groaned.

"That was so cool!" Nokia cheered. "I always wanted to try a Connect Jump!"

A nearby woman had her jaw hanging. "Goodness, what a shock! It's like the Hero of Obliva has risen again. And with talking Pokemon! And kids coming out of wrist watches! Oh, wow, it's that…that thing! A long time ago, on a certain island in Oblivia, there was a hero…something."

Terriermon tilted his head. "Huh?"

"Brilliantly employing the Emblem, the Hero of Oblivia worked together with legendary Pokemon to bring peace to Oblivia. Happily ever after. That thing. Haven't you heard of it? It's pretty famous here. Anyway, that Hero was just like you and rode the Great Entei…"

"Entei?" Ben asked. "You mean, Raikou, right?"

"Huh, that's odd. That was the Great Raikou and not the Great Entei, right? Oh, now that I think of it…Here on Mitonga Island, the Hero and the Great Entei are the main characters in the old tale. I've heard that the Pokemon in the story varies from island to island."

"Huh…that's weird." Nokia said. "Anyway, we made it! Let's go find Fei and Yuugo!"

Takumi nodded and turned back to the woman. "Have you seen a kid, dressed in white with black hair around here?"

"Why yes. He showed up to Tilt Village recently."

"Thanks! Let's go!"

Back on the other side of the bridge Booker was still trying to process everything he just saw. "I'm must be gettin' old. I'm seein' all sorts of things! I gotta go lie down once I'm done here…"

Hiding in the trees behind him a hooded figure laughed before departing.


	11. Chapter 11: The Legacy of Amun

**Does anyone else feel like they're ready to snap because of quarantine? I know it's hard for evreyone, but we just need to remember that this will pass over eventually. Until then all we can do is stay strong. I hope my work can help put a few smiles on some faces to make up for the unhappy situation at hand. That thought will keep me writing the best I can. **

**With the help of Leanne and Kyoko's research, Ben discovers his new power, the Guardian Sign. A ability to summon Pokemon. With this, he calls on Raikou to help him and his team cross to ****Mitonga**** Island where Fei chassed the man in red and where Yuugo was waiting at Tilt Village, planning to reunite with their friends and track down the Pokemon Pinchers. **

* * *

Ben and his team entered Tilt Village. "Looks, like the village is still in one piece." Takumi said. "At least nobody got attacked."

"So, what now?" Arata asked.

"Let's ask around. See if anyone knows something."

"Hey, there they are! Ben!" Three people and a Digimon walked towards the group. Consisting of Fei, FanBeemon, Yuugo and a man Ben was familiar with.

Ami hurried over to them. "Fei! Yuugo! You're alright!"

"Murph? What are you doing here?" Ben asked.

"Found you!"

"You know him?" Arata asked.

"He's the head of PR at the Ranger Union."

"Oh, good, you remember. The truth is, just a few moments ago I arrived here on the Union. It's moored at the port in the lower end of town."

"I saw Fei chasing that guy on the UFO and followed her into a nearby forest." Yuugo explained. "After that we came back here to wait for you. As you can see, these houses are built on a slanting cliff. That's why this place is called Tilt Village. We were here when Murph arrived. When he said he was looking for Ben, Fei here told us what all of you have been doing."

"Oh, right. We should introduce you." Takumi said turning to Ben. "Ben, this is Yuugo Kamishiro. His father is head of Kamishiro Enterprises."

"Nice to meet you. Thanks for helping my friends." Yuugo said, giving Ben a warm smile and handshake.

"Not a problem." Ben smiled. "So, Murph, why did you, the head of PR ride a boat clear out here?"

"Actually…I said in the Union's Conference Room that I didn't have a lot to do, right? Well, Prof. Hastings gave me a job."

"Hastings?" Nokia asked.

"He's the lead scientist and leader of the Rangers." Ben explained. "He's also the one who made the Styler. Anyway, what's this job, Murph?"

"He told me to sail the Union to Oblivia. But I really don't understand the point."

"He didn't even tell you what to do afterword?"

"Oh, that's right! I have an important message for you from Prof. Hastings."

"Important message? That must be why he sent you here." Ami said. "What is it?"

"It was…"

* * *

_In the Conference Room Hastings stood face to face with Murph. "The elite Ranger Kellyn has obtained some information. Extremely suspicious characters have been spotted at libraries throughout various regions. Apparently, they want to know something about Oblivia's ancient legends. I suspect that these are the Pinchers. A book about Oblivia's legends that the group may be interested in is actually not at a library but on a Mitonga Island in Oblivia The Pinchers shouldn't be aware of this. They could notice at any moment, however, so hurry there and get the book. The title of the book is…Are you ready Murph? Be sure to write this down…"_

* * *

Everyone stared at Murph, as he struggled to pull out the name. "You never wrote it down, did you?" Fei asked.

"Amun! Right, right, right. The author was someone called Amun. "Legends of the Oblivia Region." After writing it the 100th time, I committed it to memory!"

"Amun…" Ami pondered. "Didn't we see something on Dolce Island connected to Amun?"

"Yeah." Ben nodded. "Booker said he wrote Oblivia's songs. He seems to know a lot about the legends here."

"Amun spent his entire life writing the only copy of this research report." Murph explained. "Amun passed away a long time ago, but his mansion is still here on Mitonga Island. It has to be in there somewhere!"

"Then let's start there." Takumi said. "We gotta get that book before the Pinchers do."

"Speaking of them, what happened to the creep you were chasing?" Nokia asked, turning to Fei.

"That snake gave us the slip when he flew into the trees." FanBeemon growled.

"We almost had him!" Fei scowled clenching a fist. "I can't believe I screwed that up!"

"You did your best Fei." Ami said. "That's all you could have done…"

Yuggo looked down sadly. "Fei told us what happened to Yuuko and Ben's partner…"

"I'm sorry, Yuugo…"

"You aren't any more to blame then I am. I just hope she's safe…"

"I know your sister will be okay." Murph said, patting Yuugo's back. "Summer's there and a strong-willed girl like her can help. Heck even if imprisoned, she is probably finding out a lot of information for us. She is a Pokemon Ranger after all!"

Ben tried his best to smile. "Wait, doesn't the Union have its own wireless coms? We can call the Professor and-

"I want to tell Professor Hastings that I arrived safely, but the Union's transmitter is broken. Ships rock a lot, so I spilled my juice." Murph said. The others simultaneously slapped their foreheads. "Sorry, but can you contact them with your Styler?"

"Not until the Wireless Tower's fixed up, and who knows how long that'll take." The Ranger sighed.

Murph went bugged eyed. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"Yeah, welcome to my world, buddy."

"Did someone spill their juice on the Wireless Tower, too? So, you haven't been making regular contact with the Ranger Union?"

"The professor must be worried sick. Let's hope he takes no news as good news, because that's all he's going to get."

Murph took a deep breath. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. It would be nice to have the Ranger Union's advice, but with my experience, you guys with your Digimon and Ben's skills we can pull this off!"

"Well, first things first. Let's ask around the village and see if any of them know where this mansion is." Terriermon said.

"We might find a clue about Summer while we're looking." Murph said.

Just then they heard an applause from the distance. "Huh? What's going on over there?" Palmon asked.

"Let's take a look." Ben said. They walked over to the center of town where three kids watched an elderly man with a cape held out hit top hat to show a bouquet and made a staff appear out of thin air.

The magician bowed to the children. "Nothing up my sleeve but a hello! Welcome to my miraculous show. I'll be your guide to a mysterious world."

The children were jumping up and down. "Guide us! Guide us!"

"A magic show?" Takumi said. "I haven't seen something like this in a long time…"

"We might be able to get some info, so let's watch for a minute!" Murph said.

"How is this going to get us information?" Fei asked.

The man turned to them. "What do we have here? Some new audience members? Well, since we have new guests, let's ask one of them to volunteer. How about…The darling little Pichu with the ukulele on it's back! Come here!"

"Picchuu!" The Pokemon happily walked over.

Murph sighed. "Aww…I wanted to be called."

The man then pulled out his wand. "Well then, are you ready? One! Two! Three and…Voila!"

Pichu floated upward slightly before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Everyone was in awe. Ben stared in shock at the spot his friend was standing. "Pichu?! Where did he…?!"

The kids were as surprised as him. "Wow! Amazing! Where did Pichu go?"

"With this kind of commotion, it could only be Hocus." Everyone saw a familiar doctor smile as he approached with Pichu. "You have a few more audience members than usual."

The children jumped again before crowding Pichu. "Wow! How strange! Pichu appeared over there!"

Hocus laughed as he waved. "Hi, Edward. Nothing up my sleeve but a hello! Today I have a Pokemon Ranger in the audience."

Edward turned to Ben and his friends. "Well, well, Ranger. So, we meet again. Are you injured?"

"Hi, Doctor Edward."

"You know this person?" Yuugo asked.

"Yeah. We meet in Cocona Village. This is Doctor Edward. He takes care of people all around the islands of Oblivia."

"By himself? That's most impressive. I've seen many doctors while in rehab, but none with that determination."

"Rehab? Dear me, did something happen to you?" Edward asked.

"It's…a long story sir. Excuse me, I should introduce myself. My name is Yuugo Kamishiro."

"He's an old friend of ours." Ami smiled. "You met, me, Takumi, Palmon, Terriermon, Ben, and Fei, but these are Arata, Nokia, Agumon, Gabumon, and Keramon."

"Mon? Are these more of those…Digimon Arley told me of?" the doctor asked.

"Yup, you're pretty sharp, old man." When Keramon spoke, all eyes were on it.

"Wow! It talks!" one of the kids said. "Is this another magic trick?"

"If it is, I would love to know the secret." Hocus said amazed.

"Let me introduce myself as well. I'm Murph from the Union PR. Pleased to make your acquaintance…Oh, I'm not practiced in speaking politely. I made a mess of it."

"What brings someone from the Ranger Union to Obliva?" Edward asked.

"We're looking for a book with vital information." Takumi said. "Have you heard of it? It's called "Legends of the Oblivia Region." And it was written by a guy named Amun. Some sort of researcher in the legends of this region. He passed away some time ago."

Edward rubbed his chin. "Amun…He researched legends of the Oblivia region, you say? At the very least, none of my patients have that name. I regret that I cannot be more helpful. Elderly people who have always lived in Tilt Village may have known Amun, but I only started visiting these islands a few years ago. So, I might have arrived after Amun passed away."

"I see…"

"I have to examine some elderly people, so I must go."

"Aren't you, kind of an elderly person yourself?" Nokia asked.

Ami nudged her arm with her elbow. "Nokia! Don't be rude!"

The man simply laughed. "Oh, that's quite alright. It happens to all of us. If you'll excuse me."

As he walked away Hocus turned to his audience. "And that brings my magic show to a close. Until next time!"

The kids waved. "See you later, Hocus!"

As they left as well, Agumon looked at Nokia. "How did he do that? Does he use that magic optical eye thing?"

"Ugh, nice going, Arata! You got my cute little Digimon all confused!" Nokia groaned.

"Well, it wasn't hard. They're about as dense as their human partner!"

"Now, now…" Yuugo said. "Even in a different world we can't seem to have one day without you two arguing. Let's stay on track. We need to find this manor."

"Let's split up." Takumi said. "Ask around and see what you can find. Some elder might have known Amun."

Everyone nodded and went in separate directions. Murph turned to Ben. "Let's go to the lower part of the village." They walked down stony stairs and reached the bottom of the village. Once the dock was in sight, Murph stopped them. "Wait! Stop!"

"What's up?" Ben asked.

"Hey, come on! Have a look at the sailboat, The Union, which I sailed here all by myself."

"Sure. I heard of it, but I never saw it."

"This way! Come on!" Murph lead him and Pichu to a massive boat with a flag that had the Union logo. "Isn't it cool! It's so big you can't see the whole thing."

"Amazing. It's almost as big as the Ranger Union!"

"I sailed the Union all the way to the Oblivia region. Me! Doesn't that make you want to crack up? I really got lucky this time." He then turned to Ben. "Okay, our field trip to the Union is over. We have to look for an older person who knew Amun!"

Ben nodded.

* * *

Elsewhere some people were gathered. Yuugo and Arata went to check it out.

"I'm telling you I saw it!"

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"

"No, I- A young man in the center of the group spotted Yuugo and turned pale. "Th-th-there he his!"

Everyone looked at Yuugo, who he was pointing to. "Er…is something wrong?" the boy asked.

"It's him! He followed me here! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the man ran away screaming.

Arata turned to the crowd. "What's the deal with him?"

"He was strolling through the forest when he came across a mansion." A girl around his age explained.

"A mansion? That's gotta be the one we're looking for! Where is it?"

"I don't know, he didn't say. But he said something about seeing a ghost of a white boy."

Arata and Yuugo looked at each other in surprise. "Ghost of a…it can't be…can it?"

* * *

Murph and Ben were continuing their search. So far, nobody they asked had a clue where the mansion was. Some knew Amun's name but not much beyond that.

"Sorry, guys, coming through!" Ami ran past them. Palmon trying to keep up.

"Ami?" Ben asked. "What's her hurry?"

Murph shrugged. "You got me."

They then spotted an old man. "Excuse me sir. Can we ask you a question?"

The man looked at them. "Oh? Are you asking me about Amun too?"

"Oh, you heard?"

"That girl just now asked me about him."

"So, do you know something?" Ben asked.

"I might've heard the name. I might not have. If you're talking about the Old Mansion with all of the books, it's in the outskirts north of the village. A recluse who never gave his name might have lived there, or he might not have…"

"That's gotta be it." Ben said. "Come on, let's grab the others."

"But that mansion…" Ben and Murph looked back at the man. "It's haunted!"

"Haunted?"

Murph ran behind Ben. "Eeeek! Ghosts!" Ben and Pichu just stared at him. "Just kidding. Eh heh heh."

"Suuuuuure."

"Okay, to be honest, I'm terrified, but shall we go to the Old Mansion?"

"Let's gather everyone first."

Ben and Murph posed. "Mission on!"

"Watch out if you're goin' to that mansion. There are holes in the floor, and my grandson fell through once before." The old man said.

"That won't be a problem." Ben replied.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, right? You were just kidding then, right?"

"I might've been a joke, but it might not…Well, you'll find out if you go."

* * *

Later, back where they split up, Arata and Yuugo met with Nokia, and Takumi. "A ghost of a white boy…are you sure?" Takumi asked.

"That's what she said." Arata replied.

"But, Yuugo is right here!" Nokia said.

"I know." The raven-haired boy replied. "And I'm no longer part of the Eater's network. It doesn't make sense…"

"It must be something else." Takumi said.

"What must be?" Fei asked as she approached.

"Did you find anything?" Terriemron asked.

FanBeemon shook her head. "No. You?"

"Well, we know it's somewhere near the forest you and I were at." Yuugo replied.

"Up north." Everyone turned to Ben and Murph as they came back. "We spoke to an old guy about a mansion up north with a lot of books. It's gotta be Amun's."

"Up north…" Yuugo pondered. "That's where I woke up. That gate I saw…does it lead there? But it's locked."

"Maybe a Pokemon or Digimon can bust our way through. Either way, we won't find the mansion just standing here."

"Good point. Let's find Ami and get going." Takumi said.

"She already knows. I saw her run off earlier. She probably went on ahead."

Arata sighed and rubbed his forehead. "That sure sounds like her."

"The old man thinks the mansion is haunted." Murph shuddered. "I hope it isn't."

Takumi's eyes widened. "Wait, what? A haunted manor?"

Ben sighed. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you're scared too."

Takumi gripped his shoulders. "And you saw Ami run on ahead? Are you sure?"

Ben was somewhat startled by the sudden seriousness. "I'm pretty sure she did, why?"

Takumi looked down the trail leading to the forest. "Oh, no…"

"What's wrong?"

"Come on! We gotta find her!" Everyone watched Takumi run on ahead before following.

* * *

After marching north up a road surrounded by trees Takumi stopped in front of a gate. A sturdy lock held it shut. "There it is." Yuugo said.

"That is one tough looking gate." Terriermon said. "I don't think I could bust it down as Gargomon."

The others caught up to him and looked at the gate. "Great. Now what?" Fei asked.

Murph stepped forward. "Only one course of action here. A human Target Clear! The as-of-yet-unamed smash!"

"Human Target Clear?" Nokia asked.

"Target Clears are when Rangers use Pokemon to deal with certain obstacles." Ben explained. "But I never heard of a Human Target Clear."

"I'll show you. Step back everyone!" Murph said taking a few steps back. Everyone moved away from the gate. "Target…Cleeeear!" He charged as fast as he could to the gate and crashed into it with a loud bam and fell to the ground. Nokia, Ben, and Takumi winced at the sight of it. Yuugo, Arata and Fei stared at him with an expression that said "seriously?" on their faces. "Ah ha, ha. That didn't work. And owwwww…"

"Clearly." Fei said. "What the heck was that?"

"A Ranger I know is really good at that." Murph groaned getting back up.

"Anyone got any effective ideas?" Arata asked.

"I don't see Ami…" Takumi said. "She must have found a way in. Think."

Everyone stood quietly in thought. Pichu suddenly had a thought and ran to the right. "Pichu! Pichu!" Everyone followed him.

"What's up, pal?" Ben asked kneeling down to him. "Too bad you can't talk…"

"Ha! Plus one for Digimon!" Keramon boasted.

"Are you hungry or something?" Murph asked. "Actually, I've been hungry for a while now."

"PICHU!" the Pokemon growled. It pointed on ahead showing another road.

"Wait…I get it!" Takumi said. "Pichu thinks Ami took another route to go around the gate!"

"Ha, ha! Good thinking!" Ben smiled as Pichu jumped in joy. "Plus one for Pokemon!"

"Actually, I was just thinking the same thing." Murph said.

"Oh, oh! Me too!" Nokia said.

Fei rolled her eyes. "I'll bet."

"Let's go, we're wasting time!" Takumi said running ahead.

"What's with him?" Ben asked as they followed.

"No idea." Arata shrugged. "I don't think I've ever seen him like this."

"Still, Pichu is quite a hard worker." Murph said. "Is it working towards some kind of goal?"

Ben then glanced ahead to see Takumi and Terriermon. Then he saw a ghost Pokemon. "Is that…Takumi, stop!"

The Pokemon let out a cry, getting Takumi's attention. Suddenly he and Terriermon disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared in front of Ben and the others.

"What the-?! What just happened?!" Takumi asked.

Ben's Voice Nav. activated. **"Dusclops have the ability to remove anyone who enters their territory instantly."**

"You've got to be kidding me." Takumi growled as he took out his Digivice. "We don't have time for this! Terriemon, let's plow through them!"

"Takumi, wait!" Ben said, grabbing his arm. "There might be more around here! You'll attract all kinds of trouble! It'll be faster to sneak around them."

"So those are the magic optical eyes?" Gabumon asked.

"Let's just go!" Takumi said. "If sneaking past them is faster, then fine! We're in a hurry!"

* * *

Ami stood in front of the manor and took a deep breath. Palmon looked at her in worry. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing…"

"Are you sure we shouldn't wait for the others?"

"The Pinchers could be on their way or already inside for all we know. We need to move." Ami slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

* * *

Back in their empty room, Yuuko and Summer were still on the floor. Summer woke up, still hogtied and blindfolded.

"_That dream again…Who was that guy?"_

"Summer?" Yuuko asked. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah. Morning…I can't believe all we can do is wait to get rescued…" Summer said in shame. "I'm supposed to be a Pokemon Ranger…"

"I know how you feel…but there's nothing we can do."

Summer sighed. Then her head perked up. "Hey, wait a minute! I just remembered something!" she tried moving her hands towards her pocket with little success. "Ugh…come on!"

"What are you doing?"

"In my back pocket…I got a tracking device…Ngh! If I can just…"

Yuuko rolled over until she was next to Summer, facing away from her. "Let me help. I don't think I can undo any knots like this…but I might be able to…" It was a bit tricky, but after a few moments she successfully got her bond hands past Summer's hands and feet and reached into her back pocket. Once she felt something small in her fingers, she pulled it out. "I think I go it. How do I activate it?"

"Just stick it where nobody will find it."

Yuuko rolled around again until she found a corner in their room and attached the device. "There. So, someone will find us?"

"Er, no. It only works with my Styler…which is busted."

"Then…why…?"

"Well, if we get out of here then we can find our way back when we get our payback on these guys!"

Yuuko sighed. "Assuming we ever do…"

"We will." Summer said. "I believe in Ben…You said you have friends too, right?"

Images of those that she knew were in this world with her flashed in Yuuko's head. "You're right." She smiled confidently. Her friends had never failed her before. She believed in them.

* * *

**And so we begin the mansion, where a lot more then what normally happens in Guardian Signs will go down as you can guess. Stay tuned for next week, stay safe, stay home, and wash your hands.**


	12. Chapter 12: The Haunted Mansion

**Upon arriving to Tilt Village the team meet up with Yuugo and Fei, along with Murph, head of Pokemon Ranger PR. The man informs Ben that Professor Hastings sent him to look for a book written by the late Amun, hidden in a mansion somewhere on this island. Receiving a lead from an elderly villager, Ami goes on ahead to a supposedly haunted mansion. This for some reason causes Takumi concern who insists that the team find his sister as quickly as possible, leading them to the old mansion. **

* * *

Murph, Yuugo, Ben, Pichu Takumi, Nokia, Arata, Fei and their Digimon were standing in front of the old mansion. "I didn't think it would be such a big mansion." Murph said looking up. "We'll let's go in, then. It sure is scary though…"

Takumi noticed the door was left open. "Ami must have already gone inside…"

"We'll let's not let her have all the fun." Fei said.

"You think this is fun?!" Takumi snapped. "She could be in danger for all we know!"

Everyone was taken aback from the outburst. "Uh, Takumi? Aren't you getting a little paranoid?" Yuugo asked. "This is Ami we're talking about. She can handle herself."

"You don't understand!"

"How can we if you don't tell us what's freaking you out?" Ben asked.

"There's no time, let's go!" He hurried into the mansion with the others close behind. They stepped in on a big red carpet.

"Is anybody there?" Murph asked. "I'd be happier if there wasn't!"

While everyone looked around the door shut with a loud slam. "Uh…did anyone close the door?" Nokia asked.

"Don't look at me." Ben replied.

Murph went over to the door and pulled. "It won't open! So, I guess we have no other option than to go deeper?"

"AMI!" Everyone was startled and turned back around to see Takumi with his hands at the sides of his face. His voice echoed for a bit.

"Jeez! Don't shout like that! This place is freaky enough as is!" Nokia yelled.

Agumon and Gabumon walked up to her. "Don't worry, Nokia! We'll protect you!"

Gabumon nodded. "That's right! If someone come's we'll beat them down big time!"

"Awww! Thanks, you two!"

"We need to find Ami!" Takumi said. "It'll be faster is we split up. I'll take Arata and go upstairs. Nokia, Fei, you two go right. Yuugo, Ben, Murph, you three go left."

"Excuses me, but who elected you as- Ignoring Fie Takumi ran on ahead with Arata, Terriermon and Keramon following as fast as they could. "Both of those twins are such a pain in the hide."

"We'll no use complaining about it." Nokia sighed. "Besides, after seeing Takumi like this, how can I not be worried? Let's go."

As the girls left Yuugo turned to Ben and Murph. "Arata and I heard that a "ghost of a white boy" was spotted here."

"W-what? A ghost?" Murph asked.

"That's what we heard. I'd like to find it as well if possible."

"We, got Ami and the book to worry about right now and you want to go ghost hunting?" Ben asked.

"It's just a…concern I have. But you're right. Ami and Amun's book come first."

"This place is haunted…" Murph trembled. "F-for now, let's look for Ami and the book. The title was "Legends of the Oblivia Region."

"Mu, mu, mu…"

"Did you guys hear that?" Ben asked.

Suddenly a Misdreavus flew in front of Ben. Two more in front of Yuugo and Murph. Murph turned pale. "G-GHOSTS!"

"Correction, ghost Pokemon." Ben said. "Capture on!"

* * *

Fei and Nokia continued down another hall. The red-head stopped for a moment. "Ohhhh…this place gives me cold shivers."

"Oh, come on." Fei scoffed. "There's nobody here."

"You would think that but take it from me! When you expect nothing to be there something ALWAYS pops out in your face! I speak from experience!"

"Experience…so you think a Digimon will come at us?"

"Or maybe an Eater! I don't know, something will!" Nokia stared into Fei's stern expression. "Er…why are you looking at me like that?"

"Alright, I've been trying to just brush it off for a while now. But no more. You and the others are hidin' somethin' from me. You clearly encountered these Digimon before this whole mess started and I want to know how. Now."

"Uh…yeah, now might not be a good time?"

Fei got even more annoyed. "Doesn't seem like I'm getting' one at this rate. You and I are not leavin' this spot until ya tell me exactly what is going on!"

Nokia looked back at Agumon, Gabumon and FanBeemon. Then turned back to Fei.

"_They need to know! They need to know they can trust Digimon! And…they deserve to know."_

Hearing Takumi's words echo in her head brought her to a decision_. _"Okay, okay…well…how to start this…you see…"

* * *

Ben pulled back his Styler as the ghost Pokemon fled after he tamed them. Murph sighed in relief. "…Oh, man. Now we can continue, right?" He then glanced to the path at the left.

"What's wrong?" Yuugo asked.

"I heard a sound from over there…This time it's the ghost for sure!"

"Let's find out." Ben said taking lead. They entered another doorway and then came down a hall that forked. Once they reached the corner, they got a glimpse of someone in green walking into a door. After doing so a Dusclops appeared and its eye glowed and a massive shelf appeared against the door. The Pokemon laughed before leaving.

Murph looked at Ben and Yuugo shaking. "Were you able to see anyone before the entrance was blocked? Could it be the real ghost?!"

Ben sighed looking at the shelf blocking the door. It was too heavy for the three of them to push. "Well, we're not going that way." He said going towards the other path. "Come on guys."

* * *

Takumi and Arata marched down the halls upstairs. "I can't believe she came alone…did that guy not tell her this place was haunted?" The red-head asked.

"What are you panicking for?" Arata asked. "Ami's a brave girl. She'll be fine."

Takumi sighed. "I know that. She is brave…most of the time…"

"What do you mean?" Arata asked. Neither was aware that something was sneaking up on them.

Fortunately, their Digimon noticed. "Terrier Tornado!"

"Crazy Giggle!" Both Terriermon and Keramon shot attacks at the stalkers, blowing them back.

Takumi and Arata turned around to see two ghost like Digimon recovering from their daze. Arata was the first to identify them. "Those are…Bakemon!"

"There are Digimon here too?!" Takumi asked.

Both Digimon hissed as they charged. "These guys are serious!" Arata growled taking his Digivice out.

Takumi pulled his goggles over his eyes. "So am I!"

DIGIVOLUTION

Light emanated on a screen each in front of Takumi and Arata shining on their Digimon.

"Terriemon Digivolve to…Gargomon!"

"Keramon Digivolve to…Kurisarimon!"

"Give em all you got!" Takumi ordered.

"Thunder Fall!" Gargomon shot one of them with a yellow ray, stunning it.

"Nanomachine Break!" Kurisarimon, thrusted the points of its tentacles as they crackled with electricity at it while it was down, zapping it again. It burst into shards that flew into Arata's Digivice.

"Alright…one down. Let's-

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Arata and Takumi looked behind them at the sound of a scream.

"Hey…that sounded like…"

Takumi's eyes widened. "Ami!"

At the sound of laughter, they looked back to see two more Bakemon appear at the left and right of the remaining one. "Tch! Wonderful." Arata growled. "Let's end this quick, Takumi! …Takumi?" he glanced to see his friend worryingly glancing in the direction the scream came from.

"Arata…go look for Ami, Gargomon and I can handle things here!"

"What?! Are you crazy?! You'll be ganged up on three on one!"

"Gargomon is a Vaccine type! He can take out Virus types like Bakemon faster!"

"But-

"Arata, I promise I'll be okay! I'll catch up later! But Ami might be…please…I'm begging you! Save her! If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself!"

Seeing Takumi this desperate made Arata uneasy. "Alright. I'll find her. You better not do anything stupid."

"Thank you."

Arata glanced back at his Digimon. "Kurisarimon, let's go!"

"If you insist."

Takumi watched Arata run off with his Digimon behind him. "I'm counting on you…my friend." He then turned back to the Bakemon. "Alright…Let's get em' Gargoman!"

"Right!" the rabbit Digimon pointed its arm cannons at the ghosts.

* * *

Ben, Murph and Yuugo walked into another room. This one looked like a dinning hall. There was a large table with plates set on it. Murph walked over to the table and looked at one of the empty dishes. "It's so creepy…I think my knees are going to start knocking together…"

"You sound like another worrywart I know." Ben said, rolling his eyes.

"It does look like the setting for a horror movie." Yuugo admitted.

Murph turned around to look at them. "If this were a horror movie, the plates would come flying at us! That was called…a poltergeist phenomenon, right?"

"A what?" Ben asked, giving him a weird look.

Yuugo faced Ben, who looked back at him as he spoke. "Supposedly it's what happens when a ghost or spirit causes a physical disturbance."

"But that stuff is all made to look that way with special effects." Hearing Murph speak, Yuugo and Ben looked back at him. Then their eyes widened. "If a poltergeist really exists, I'd like it to show its face."

Ben slowly pointed a finger. "Uh…Murph? Behind you."

"…Huh?" Murph turned around and saw two of the plates that were on the table in mid-air. His eyes looked ready to pop out. "Those plates are floating!" Both of them came at him, and as he turned away, they shattered as them smashed into his back. He screamed as he ran back in the direction, they came in. "I can't take it anymore! This is just too scary!"

"Murph, wait!" Ben and Yuugo ran over to the door. After Murph passed through it closed by itself.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They heard Murph's scream, then an impact.

Yuugo, panicked at what he heard. "What just happened?!"

Ben tugged on the door. "Ugh! It's locked! Hey, Murph, are you alright?!"

The Voice Nav booted up. **"Murph's vitality signal has been lost. Also, be carful of the flying plates."**

"What does that mean?" Yuugo asked. "Is…Is Murph…?!"

"Pichu!"

Ben, hearing his partner's waring, saw a plate come at them. He grabbed Yuugo by the shoulder. "Get down!" They ducked, and the plate slammed against the door. They looked up and saw more floating. "Come on, there's gotta be another way out of this room!"

* * *

"Dum Dum Uppercut!" Gargomon bashed its arm into the third Bakemon, knocking it to the ground with the other two. "Phew! That's that!"

"Good work!" Takumi said. "Now let's find Ami!"

"Wait, what do we do with them?"

"Dosen't matter!" the boy replied, already running on ahead.

"H-hey! Wait up!" After Gargomon left, the three Bakumon were left lying of the floor. Suddenly a small creature…some kind of white parasite with red eyes jumped onto one of the Bakemon and began draining it.

* * *

"And…yeah. That's the whole story."

Fei had a look of disbelief when Nokia finished explaining everything that happened before their world was rebooted. "Are…are you serious?"

"Yeah, I figured that's how you'd react. That's why we didn't tell anyone. We didn't think you'd believe us."

"It…it all seems so crazy!" Fei then looked at FanBeemon. "Then again…there is the fact that FanBeemon seems so…familiar…"

The Digimon nodded. "Yeah…I was thinking the same thing."

"Fei! Nokia!"

They saw Ben and Yuugo run up to them. "Oh, hey guys! Did you find Ami?" Nokia asked.

"No…no sign of that book either." Ben said as they caught their breath.

"All we found…were haunted plates…" Yuugo said in between breaths.

"Uh, what?" Nokia asked.

"Ha, ha! Yer funny sometimes Yuugo." Fei smiled. "I mean really, haunted plates?"

"Wha-No, I'm serious!"

"Come on Yuugo, don't tell me ya think this place really is haunt- Fei was interrupted as something hit her in the back. "Ow! Alright, who's the wise guy?!" Everyone then saw vases floating in the air. "Wh-what the-?!"

Nokia jumped back. "EEEEK! Those vases are floating?!"

Ben was more exasperated than surprised. "Not again. Run!"

* * *

Arata didn't stop running. Kurisarimon stayed close behind. "Come on…I know it came from around here…Aha! Palmon!"

He spotted Ami's Digimon, who turned around to the sound of his voice. "Arata!" next to her, Ami was curled up in a corner.

Arata came to a halt, when he saw her. Her face was in her knees. She was trembling and making whimpering sounds. "What the…Ami? What happened?"

"Be careful!" Kurisarimon warned. "Whoever spooked her might still be here!"

"Good point. Palmon, what did this to her? Where is it?"

"Nothing."

Both Arata and his Digimon looked at her confused. "Huh?"

"When we got here Ami just started…hearing and seeing things that weren't there. I tried talking her into leaving but she insisted she had to keep going. She was starting to panic and eventually she just…broke down." Palmon explained, worryingly looking at Ami. "I tried calling out to her, but…she won't respond. It's like she's petrified in fear."

Arata stared at Ami, who made a sniffle sound. This was so unreal. The Ami Aiba he and his friends knew, was positive, cheerful and brave. To see her so scared and vulnerable was enough to make his heart drop. He kneeled down and gently nudged her shoulder. "Hey. Hey!"

Ami didn't respond. Becoming increasingly more concerned, Arata gripped Ami's ears and gave them a small pull. The girl yelped like a startled animal and pulled his hands off her, while trying to scoot away, even though she was already against a wall. "NO! Stay away!"

"Ami!" Arata grabbed her arms and tried to get her to stop struggling. He wrapped his arms around her into a tight embrace. "Ami, calm down! It's me, Arata!"

His voice finally got through to her. She stopped her movements. "Ara…ta?"

He pulled back to get a good look at her. Tears were still rolling down her face. The sight hurt him inside. He pulled her into another hug. "Ami…take a deep breath." The girl closed her eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled. Both sounded shaky. "Again." She took another breath. This one a little more stable than the last. Then another. Arata soothingly rubbed her back as she continued the pattern. "It'll be okay. I'm right here." Arata said in the gentlest sounding tone he could manage.

Ami's breathing started to slow down. Soon it was light and peaceful. She slumped against Arata. Palmon walked over to them. "Is she…?"

"She's just tuckered out. Don't worry, she'll be alright."

"Arata! Ami!" Takumi ran over to them, with Gargomon following. "Arata, what happened?! Is my sister-

"Shhh! It's okay. She's asleep."

"She was freaking out earlier." Palmon said. "But Arata calmed her down."

Takumi let out a huge sigh in relief. "Thank you! Really, Arata I can't thank you enough..."

Arata smiled at him as he set Ami against the wall and stood up. "Hey, no worries, you two are my friends." He then looked back at Ami. Her face was stained with tears. "Still, what happened to her? I've never seen her like this."

"Yeah, this is the first time I've seen her so scared." Palmon added.

Takumi kneeled and sighed as he gently stroked his sister's cheek, looking at her tear-stained face. "It was eight years ago…sometime after our memories were erased after what happened to Yuugo."

* * *

Ben and Yuugo had lapped around the entire first floor of the mansion. They were back at the bookshelf blocking a doorway this time with Nokia and Fei.

"So, what do you think, Agumon?" Ben asked. "Can Greymon push it aside?"

"Absolutely! All I need is some of that determination from Nokia!"

"Coming right up!" the girl cheered holding up her Digivice. A blue screen appeared in front of her as it glowed.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Agumon Digivolve to…Greymon!" The larger dinosaur-like Digimon bashed its head into the shelf. It smashed into pieces as it hit a wall.

"Okay…I said, push it aside not wreck it." Ben sighed as Greymon converted back to Agumon. "This'll be a funny story to tell insurance."

"Oh, please!" Nokia replied. "If they didn't want their stuff to get broken, they shouldn't be flinging things at us!"

"Fair argument."

"There you guys are!" Arata said as he, Gargomon, Kurisarimon, and Palmon approached the group with Takumi, who was giving his still sleeping sister a piggyback ride.

"You found Ami! Is she okay?" Nokia asked.

"She passed out." Arata replied before reluctantly adding "Her trauma got to her…"

"Trauma?" Fei asked.

Takumi sighed before he began explaining what he already did to Arata and their Digimon. "It was sometime after meeting you guys at that EDEN demo…We were kids…our parents took me and Ami to an amusement park…it wasn't the first time. We used to go to theme parks like that a lot…but this time we stayed late and…our mom and dad let us go on our own for a bit…that's when Ami and I spotted this haunted house attraction."

"A haunted house?" Yuugo asked. "Just like…"

Takumi nodded. "I thought it would be fun to try and dragged her along with me…But even now I remember being afraid…the dark halls…the eerie silence that was interrupted by creaking or groaning, or other sudden sounds…I was scared, but I toughed it out…Ami on the other hand was terrified…she wouldn't let go of my arm…She started trembling and whimpering…" Everyone's gaze was fixed on Takumi as he continued. "Then a man in a costume dressed like some three eyed monster snuck up behind us and screeched…Ami didn't even turn around to see him…she screamed and then…fainted."

Nokia gasped. Arata looked down. This story was just as hard to hear the second time.

"I tried waking her up, but she wouldn't stir…I was young back then…I thought she was actually scared to death…that thought was far scarier than anything in the haunted house attraction. The man took off his mask and carried her, while leading me outside as fast as possible and took us to some of the park staff. They called my parents and they came running. When Ami finally woke up, she started crying…"

"Oh, my gosh…" Nokia muttered. "Poor Ami…"

"My parents told me not to blame myself…that I had no way of knowing that would happen…but I was the one who dragged her into that! Who else is there to blame? Ami barley spoke to anyone for a week after that. When she finally got her cheerfulness back, I thought it was over…but every time she saw anything that looked like a haunted house…I saw that fear from all those years ago in her eyes. Some brother I am huh? Scaring my own sister for life…I'm the worst…"

"Takumi…" Nokia was taken aback seeing one of the normally cheerful siblings so depressed and ashamed while the other so scared and vulnerable. "That's not true."

"She's not exactly scared of ghosts or stuff like that." Palmon added. "It's just the atmosphere of the Haunted House that…er…haunts her."

"But then why would she come here on her own?" Ben asked. "Did that old guy not tell her this place was haunted?"

"He did. And Ami insisted that we went on ahead. I had no idea about this until Takumi told me just now…If I did, I would have stopped her and this wouldn't have happened."

"I just wanted to get over it…" At the sound of Ami's voice everyone was directed to the girl on Takumi's back.

"Ami! You're awake! Are you alright?" her brother asked.

Ami nodded. "I'm sorry…I just wanted to get past this childhood fear…I know you felt guilty for it all this time…and I hate myself for making you feel that way. Also…Yuuko…Arata…Nokia…even you were constantly getting stronger and braver as our adventures continued…I felt like I was falling behind…That's why I wanted to prove to myself that I was stronger then before…I knew when you learned about this haunted mansion you'd tell me to stay behind…that's why I took Palmon and went alone…"

Takumi felt tears fall on his shoulder. "Ami…"

"And now look at me…weak…scared…helpless…and all of you are braving through it…I'm so pathetic…"

"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!" everyone turned to Palmon. "Who uses "Ami" and "Pathetic" in the same sentence like that?!"

"So, a little childhood issue slowed you down." Ben shrugged. "That doesn't make you a weak person by any means. Everyone has weaknesses."

"And that's why we need to work together, because while we all have weaknesses, we don't all have the same weakness." Yuugo added. "That's how we help each other past those weaknesses."

"We're a team, right?" Nokia smiled. "I mean it's not like I've never been afraid before, you and Takumi know that better than anyone. But when I've got you guys backing me, I can take on any fear!"

"Do you have any idea how corny you sound?" Fei asked. "But, I suppose she has a point. You don't have to do everything on yer own."

"I was helpless once too, remember?" Arata asked. "You and your brother were there when I needed you. That's why I'll be there if you need my help."

"Pichu!" Ben's Pokemon jumped up and down before trying to soothe Ami with music.

"Nobody is expecting you to just get over this in a day Ami." Gargomon added. "It takes time and we're here to help you through it."

"And I'll be with you until the end!" Palmon smiled. "Because that's what partners do!"

Ami sniffled and tried her best to smile. "Thanks guys…thank you…"

"Are you good to continue?" Ben asked.

"I can take you back outside." Takumi said.

Ami shook her head. "Can you put me down?" Takumi slowly lower himself and let go of Ami's legs. She let go of his shoulders as they stood up. "If I give up now then it will just make me feel worse. Besides…I'm not alone anymore, right?"

Seeing Ami smile again brought smiles on the others. "Okay." Her brother nodded. "But if it becomes too much for you, I'm right here."

"Thanks, Takumi."

Kurisarimon turned to Ben. "So, what have you guys been up to?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." The Ranger replied.

"And even if you do, we don't want to talk about it." Nokia added.

"Hey, wait a second…" Takumi said doing a head count. "Where's Murph?"

"We got separated…" Yuugo sighed. "I take it you and Arata didn't see him on the top floor?"

"No."

"Well…" Ben said looking back at the doorway. "That leaves only one place we didn't check. Let's go."

They entered the doorway. The next room looked like an office. There was a desk and the far wall was lined with books.

"What's this? Is this where Amun worked?" Ben asked.

"Wh…Th…ace!"

"Wh-what was that?!" Ami asked, holding her brother's arm. Takumi brough his other arm around her, holding her close.

"Dar… Sca…reee!"

"It's coming from the bookshelf." Ben said. Everyone slowly made their way to the wall. "Hmm?"

"What is it?" FanBeemon asked.

Ben saw a book sticking out on a strange angle and pressed it in. They heard a click and the shelf started to move. "Ben, get back!" Takumi yelled. Gargomon pointed its weapons at the shelf as the Ranger stepped away. The shelf moved forward then to the right, revealing a secret passageway. They heard footsteps coming their way and prepared for battle.

"Ben?!"

Everyone saw Murph, who was looking pale. "Murph?!"

"I missed you!"

"Where have you been?" Arata asked.

"I'm not really sure myself. After I fell through the hole in the floor, I followed a dark road while rubbing my bruises, and I ended up here."

"*sigh* At least we're finally all back together." Ben said before looking around. "I wonder if the book we're looking for is here."

"Or it could be up ahead." Yuugo replied. "Perhaps some of us should stay here and search."

"Okay. I'm going on ahead."

"I won't run away anymore, so take me with you!" Murph begged.

"I'll go too." Ami said. "I gotta make up for holding everyone back somehow."

"Then I'm coming with you." Takumi added. "The rest of you look for it here."

"Call if you need us and we'll come running." Arata said.

Ben lead his group into the hidden room. A staircase brought them downward. Cobwebs were in the area as they made their way down. Ben stopped when he saw someone. "Hey, look!"

A male and female Pincher were at the bottom of the stairs with a Chikorita and a Bayleef. "That's weird…" the man said. "What was that thudding noise just now?"

"It wasn't anything. Let's hurry back to the leader."

"The Pinchers are here too?!" Ben asked.

"Great. That means they know the book is here!" Takumi growled. "Come on!" Ben ran down the stairs with the others, into their sight.

"Pokemon Rangers?!"

"That's right! We're Pokemon Rangers!" Murph announced.

"Ahem!"

"Plus two "Cyber Sleuths." Ben added, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you." Takumi smiled.

"There's no way you're a Ranger!" the woman said pointing at Murph.

"It was you!" he said in annoyance. "You opened the hole in the floor! Do you know what I went through because of you?!"

"We didn't make any holes!" the man Pincher replied defensively.

"Oh, now I see." The woman said. "That loud noise just now was when he fell. Now that I think of it, we even heard him crying. Sheesh. You guys sure stir up trouble. So, take this!" Chikorita and Bayleef came running at them.

"Here they come!" Ben said shooting his Styler.

Takumi pointed at Bayleef. "Gargomon!"

"Right!"

Ami put on her Digivice, unaware that something was sneaking up on her. "Palmon, Digi-AH!" The others looked behind them to see web wrapped around Ami's arms, pinning them against her body. She fell backwards and stuck to the stairs. A red spider was seen overhead, leering at them.

"Ami!" Takumi ran over to his sister and tried to pull the web she struggled in off of her.

"An Ariadose?" Ben turned back to the Pinchers. "Cowards!"

"Hey, don't look at us, it ain't ours!" the male said before smirking. "But if it wants to help us then I say, welcome aboard!"

"It must be trying to defend the mansion!" Palmon said. "I'll help Ami! Gargomon, Ben, you just focus on the Pinchers!"

Ben pulled back his Styler. "She doesn't stand a chance on her own!" A blue light from it flashed onto the floor. "Vulpix, help her!" The small fox Pokemon he caught earlier came out and spit flames, making the spider back up.

"Mach Rush!" Gargomon, rammed into Chikorita, who flew into Bayleef.

Ben sent out a Noctowl. "Air Slash!" The bird swopped into Bayleef, damaging it further. He then spun his Styler around both the Pokemon, and they stopped attacking. When they got up, they left. "Game over!"

The Pinchers slightly backed up. "Still, what are you doing here? What could you need here? It's nothing more then a mansion."

"I could ask you the same thing." Ben retorted.

"The only reason we came to Amun's mansion is we though we could find some rare Pokemon. Really. That's the only reason!" they then ran into a back room.

Meanwhile, Vulpix was chasing the Ariados away, following it up the stairs. Takumi had a sturdy grip on the web trapping Ami. "Rgh! Almost…Rah!" He successfully ripped the cocoon off and helped her up. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah, just a little startled."

"So, this is Amun's mansion! I was 60 percent sure it was." Murph said. "And them! Just coming for Pokemon has to be a lie."

"Yeah. There are plenty of Pokemon around." Ami nodded. "They don't need to come all the way out here for more. They've got to be after the book."

"Then let's go after them." Ben said. They stormed into the next room.

"Playtime's over you fiends!" Murph declared. They saw the two Pinches and books and papers scattered all over the floor. "What's with the mess in this room?"

Ami recognized the blond woman in white and blue in the center of the room. "You're the one from the tower!"

"My how brave." The woman smirked at Murph. "Aren't you the one who fell through the hole in the floor?" then he glanced at Ben. "And that Ranger must be that kid, Ben, from Red Eye's report. We met before at the Wireless Tower, didn't we?"

"Hey, we're here too, ya know!" Gargomon said.

The woman looked at him in surprise. "Did that Pokemon just talk?!"

"I'm a Digimon! Get it right!"

"Who are you?!" Ben asked.

The woman chuckled. "Being careful of a cute little kid like you…Red Eyes has a sense of humor. I'm the blue leader of the Pokemon Pinchers. Known as…" the woman brushed her hair and posed with a hand on her hip. "Blue Eyes!"

"Blue Eyes?"

"Do you mind if I ask you a question? The world's only copy of a book called "Legends of the Oblivia Region" should be here. We've looked but can't find it. You have it, don't you?"

"So, you are after it!" Takumi said.

"We don't have it yet!" Murph said. "But we're not letting you take it!"

"You sure talk a lot for someone who fell through a hole in the floor." Blue Eyes scoffed. "So, from the looks of you, I guess you really haven't found the book yet."

"And neither have you." Takumi said. "Which means whoever wins this fight gets dibs!"

"I couldn't agree more." The woman grinned activating her Control Gauntlet. "Go! Meganium!" A green, plant Pokemon with a long neck came out and marched towards them. As it roared, thorns priced the floor and surrounded Ben.

Takumi scanned it. "Meganium. Grass Type. It's breath can revive dead plants and flowers. And the fragrance it gives off soothes and calms emotions."

"Capture On!" Ben fired his Styler at Meganium. He managed a few loops, before it rose more thorns around it. One of them hit the capture line damaging Ben's Styler in the process. "Gah! All these thorns are in the way! I can't maneuver my Styler around all of them!"

Ami held her hand out towards Palmon. "What…?"

Takumi looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"My Digivice isn't working. Palmon won't Digivolve!"

Takumi faced her. "Are you still scared?"

"What?" Takumi pointed at Ami's outstretched hand. It was shaking.

Blue Eyes laughed. "This is what Red Eyes was worried about? A couple of kids and a scared little girl?"

Ami looked down in shame. She remembered what Arata said. She needed determination to Digivolve Palmon.

"Meganium! Razor Leaf!"

Gargomon looked at Takumi as the sharp petals Blue Eyes' Pokemon shot came towards them. "You know, with a name like "Blue Eyes" I was expecting water attacks."

Takumi shrugged before Gargomon shot a barrage of laser fire, burning through the petals, tearing through all of them and started pelting the Pokemon in the face. It cried out as it backed up.

"That's it, keep it up!" Takumi grinned.

Blue Eye's glared at the Pokemon. "What is wrong with you? You're fully evolved yet you're losing to a brat and his rabbit?"

Meganium growled and then let out a roar. It brought more thorns in front of it, blocking the attack. Then the pink flower around its neck turned yellow, before it shot a blue laser at Gargomon, blowing it into a wall.

"Gargomon!"

Ami was still staring at her trembling hand. Pichu was playing music to try to calm the now angry Pokemon. She saw thin vines wrap around her arm and looked up to see Palmon.

"It's okay to be scared."

"Palmon?"

"Remember when you and Takumi met me and Terriermon in EDEN? We were scared when that Digimon showed up and attacked but you two stood up for us. Ever since then I thought I'd never be scared again. But back in the Digital World Alphamon told me something."

"Alphamon?"

"Yup. She said: "Only when you experience fear can you become truly brave. And like many problems, fear is easier to overcome if you are not alone."

"Palmon…I…" Her goggles started glowing green.

"Like I said, I'm with you until the end. I'm your partner."

Ami slowly smiled. "Palmon…" She stood back up, put on her goggles, and held out her green hand. The blue screen appeared in front of her. "I am…afraid. But because I have my friends, I can be brave enough to admit that. Right know, even if I can't overcome my fears, I can still be brave enough to fight for what's precious to me!"

DIGIVOLUTION

Blue Eyes' gaze shifted to Palmon as a shell of light formed around it.

"Palmon Digivolve to…Togamon!"

"W-what was that?! Some kind of evolution?!"

Ami put her goggles back in her hair and opened her eyes. Where there was once fear there was now a fierce determination. "Blue Eyes! I won't let the Pinchers do as they please! I'll protect this world and the people that believe in me!"

"Hmph. Save your sappy speech for someone who's interested. Meganium!"

Another blue laser was fired. Togomon blocked it with her gloves and slid back. She slowly pushed forward, and came towards Meganium. Once the Pokemon was worn out the laser stopped and Togemon charged forward as her fist glowed green. "Crescent Leaf!" She uppercut, Meganium, sending it into the air. It landed on the floor with a loud crash.

Ben looked at his partner. "Now, Pichu!" The yellow Pokemon played its ukulele as Ben looped his Styler around the downed Pokemon until Meganium calmed down and went to sleep.

Blue Eye's eyes widened. "I don't believe it. Red Eyes was right. You are extraordinary."

Ben gave Ami and Togamon thumbs up. "Great job you two."

"Heh, heh…it's thanks to you guys that we can be this strong."

The other two Pinchers were in panic. "Our leader lost to the Ranger's team?"

"Somehow we have to get revenge!"

"Hey." They looked back at Gargomon who was coming towards them. "Forgot about me, did ya?"

"We'll hurry and go call backup!" As Gargomon dove towards them, the moved out of the way and ran out the door.

"What…You! Are you just going to leave me here?" Blue Eyes growled.

"Oh no, you're not getting away this time!" Ben glared. "Get her, Pichu!"

"Picchuu!" The Pokemon jumped onto her face.

"What are you doing? Let go of me! Could you be after your Pichu pals?!"

"Yup. Better tell him where they are quick." Ben grinned.

Without warning Pichu emanated a blast of electricity shocking Blue Eyes. "Eeeeeyaagh! I-I-I hate shocks! Stop!"

* * *

**Lately I've been considering giving Ben summoning chants for legendary Guardian Signs, kinda like Yu-gi-oh but maybe that would just be ridicules. I dunno. Still thinking on it for now.**


	13. Chapter 13: From Our Past

**Sorry if it seemed like last chapter ended abruptly. Here's the conclusion to our mansion incident. **

**After helping Ami overcome her childhood fears, the team searches the mansion for Amuns book on the legends of Oblivia. Inside the study, they once again encounter Blue Eyes, the woman from the Wireless tower. After a intense battle, Ami, Takumi and Ben defeated the commander, and now just need to acquire the book they came for. **

* * *

Back upstairs Yuugo sighed as he put another book away. "I don't see it anywhere."

Arata closed a drawer at the desk. "Me neither."

"RUN AWAAAAAAAAAY!" Everyone barley had time to get a glimpse at two Pinchers as they fled.

"Were those…Pinchers?" Noika asked.

"Pinchers? So, they're the ones you warned me about Fei?" Yuugo asked.

"Yeah. Takumi and the others must have given em' a beating."

"Eeeeeyaagh! I-I-I hate shocks! Stop!" Everyone looked towards the doorway where they heard a scream and the sound of electricity.

"What was that?!" Arata asked.

"Come on!" Nokia ran though the secret passageway with the others and down some stairs before coming into the room Ben and the others were. Blue Eyes was awkwardly stuck in place. Her body was paralyzed.

"Awesome, Pichu!" Murph laughed.

"What happened here?" Yuugo asked.

Ben smirked at them. "Yo! You're late."

Fei recognized Blue Eyes. "That's the woman from the tower."

Takumi nodded. "She calls herself Blue Eyes."

"Thanks to Pichu we managed to catch their leader." Murph smiled.

"One of them." Ben said. "We still have the guy that blew up the bridge. I'm assuming that's this "Red Eyes" she was talking about."

"But we might be able to find out where Yuuko is!" Nokia said. "Pichu's friends and your partner too!"

"Pichu!" Both the Pokemon and Ben were smiling at the thought.

"The Pinchers have two leaders then…" Takumi said. "That means we're halfway to stopping them for good!"

Fei immediately ran to Blue Eyes. "Where is Yuuko, you hag?! Spill it! Before I punch your lights out!"

"I wouldn't recommend touching her for now." Ben said, looking at the electricity still bouncing off of Blue Eyes. "I don't think she's in much of a condition to talk anyway."

"I'll take her onto the Union while she's weak from the electric shock." Murph said. "You guys can take your time coming back."

"Let's call over Matayoshi and Date too." Gargomon said. "They might be able to get her to talk."

"This seems...way too easy." Kurisarimon said. "I mean we just came here for a book!"

"That just means we all make a great team!" Togamon smiled. "Right, Ami? Ami?"

Everyone looked at the girl to see her legs shaking. She started to fall, when Arata ran up and caught her. "Hey, are you alright?!"

"Y-yeah…" she weakly replied as she tried to straighten herself but was still leaning against him. Her forehead was on his chest. "Sorry…guess I'm still just a coward after all…"

Arata gently patted her back. "If you were you wouldn't have come here. Trust me. You're braver than you think."

"Th-thanks Arata. And thank you for…earlier…if you hadn't been there I… You know what…I don't want to think about it…"

"You and me both."

Nokia grinned at them. "Awww! Look at you two being all adores!"

Ami, looked at her with her eyes widening. Then she backed away, with her face as red as her hair when she realised how close she was to Arata who just looked confused. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She backed up and screamed so loud she startled Arata and he fell backwards into a nearby pile of books. They all came tumbling down on him.

"AGH! Jeez! What was that for?!"

"Oh, my gosh!" Ami ran over to him and stated throwing the books burring him aside. "Arata! I'm so, so sorry! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, sure. Ow. Couldn't Amun have written something lighter? Like magazines or newspapers or something?"

"You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" Takumi asked Nokia. He smirked as he added "Next time wait for one of us to take a picture."

Nokia smirked back. "Heh, heh! Why didn't I think of that?"

One more book came down right on Arata's head and bounced onto his lap. "Ow! For the love of…Huh?"

As Arata picked it up, Murph looked around. "Still, there are a lot of books here… "Walks through Ancient Oblivia" "The Islands of Many Monuments."

Nokia picked one up from the floor. "How to Deep-Sea Dive?" Why the heck would he need something like this?" She threw it over her shoulder.

Takumi picked up another one. "Hey, look at this. Dictionary of World Emblems."

"Emblem means a symbol of the past, right?" Murph asked.

"Yeah, but I was thinking of the one Ben saw after we fought Raikou."

"Does this mean Anum was looking into those too?" Ben asked.

"There isn't a single worthwhile book in that mess over there." Blue Eyes said, still unable to move.

"Uh, huh. And **who **made that mess?"

Arata smirked. "And you clearly didn't read each cover carefully as you did so." He was still looking at the book that just fell on him. Ami saw the cover from over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Blue Eyes asked as everyone turned to him. Arata flipped it over so everyone could see.

"Whatcha got there, Arata?" Murph asked. "Legends of the Oblivia Region." Everyone else's eyes widened as they saw the book. Murph just brushed it off. "Pretty uninteresting if you ask me. What else is here?"

Takumi turned to him. "Uh…Murph? That's the-

Ben put his arm out. "Shh! I want to see how long it takes him to figure it out on his own."

"What did you just say now?!" Blue Eyes asked. "Come on! What did you say?"

"Huh? What do you care about "Legends of the Oblivia Region?" Murph asked. Then his eyes lite up. "Oh! This is the book you were looking for! I can tell by how flustered you are! Oh yeah! Now that you mention it, the book we were looking for had a title like that!"

Gargomon groaned and glanced at Blue Eyes. "Thanks, blabbermouth, now we'll never know."

"Oh no! What have I done?"

"Nice job Arata!" Ami said helping him stand.

"Well, I can't take all the credit, you kinda helped." He groaned.

Ami glanced away, still a tad flustered. "Heh, heh…sorry about that."

"Give me that book!" Blue Eyes yelled struggling to move.

"Judging by your reaction there's something important in this book to further your teams' goals." Yuugo said.

"Let's take it back to Kyoko and Leanne." Takumi said. "They might find something helpful."

Ben turned to Murph "Hey, Murph. We still have one more thing to take care of."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. That. We have to take care of that." Everyone looked at them. Murph smiled. "A lot happened, but it's a successful Mission Clear!"

Ben and Murph posed. Yuugo just stared at them. "Do they do that often?"

"More often than you think." Fei sighed.

"Everyone, thanks for your hard work! I'll wait for you at the Union in the port at Tilt Village." Murph then looked at the leader. "Well then, Blue Eyes! You're coming with me! There's no use trying to run! Not while you're still worn out from the electric shock anyway!"

Blue Eyes winced. "I'm standing right in front of you, so you don't have to shout! I can hear you fine!"

Takumi grinned at Ami. "Oh, wait until she meets Detective Date!"

"Ha, ha, ha! Yeah!"

Ben just remembered something. "Wait!" He ran out of the room. Soon he came back with an Ariados. He then pointed at Blue Eyes. "String Shot!"

"What are you-Ack!" The bug shot web at Blue Eyes' wrapping around her upper body, and trapping her arms.

A long end of silk came out the front of the cocoon that Ben gave to Murph. "Don't touch her, you might get shocked yourself."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks." Murph pulled it and dragged Blue Eyes out of the room.

"Well, that was quite the adventure." Yuugo said. "Is this what it felt like when you guys had to go through all that chaos while I had EDEN Syndrome?"

"EDEN…"

Everyone looked around at the sound of a very familiar voice. "What was that?" Agumon asked.

"EDEN…it's been a while since I heard that name…" A boy stepped out from behind a bookshelf. What everyone saw was shocking. A boy in white. With white hair.

Ben's mouth was agape. "What in the world…?"

"Wh-what's going on?!" Yuugo asked.

Takumi took a step back. "How…? Yuugo?"

This was a young man identical to Yuugo. Only he had white hair. "It's been a while…Cyber Sleuths."

Ben shifted his glance from Yuugo to this white-haired double. "What's going on?! How are there two Yuugos?!"

"Who are you?!" Yuugo asked.

"I am Yuugo."

"Don't mess with me! I am Yuugo Kamishiro!" the boy glared.

"No. Not Yuugo Kamishiro. I am Yuugo, leader of Team Zaxon."

"What?!"

"Wait…Zaxon?" Fei asked before turning to Nokia. "Ain't that the hacker team you said I worked in along with Yuuko?"

Ami glanced at Nokia. "You told her about that?"

"I told her everything. I mean we told Kyoko, Date, and Matayoshi. It was only fair."

Fei then looked at the two Yuugos. "So, it's all true then? Digimon coming to our world and all that other crazy stuff?"

"Yes. All true." The white-haired Yuugo replied. He smiled when he saw FanBeemon. "I see you and your partner are still standing side by side."

"Now I see." The raven-haired Yuugo said. "You're the avatar that Yuuko used to become the leader of Zaxon. The one Miss Rei made with its own AI…"

"You know about all that?"

"I saw everything that happened…through the network of the Eaters."

"I see…"

Ami walked up to them. "I knew it. FanBeemon is the Digimon Fei got from you, right? TigerVespmon."

"Indeed."

"Hold on a second, how did you even get here?!" Gargomon asked.

"To be honest, I have no idea. I just…found myself in this world."

"Can someone please tell me what the heck is going on here?" Ben asked, gradually getting more and more confused.

The two Yuugos stared at each other. Everyone was waiting for one to say something. The black-haired Yuugo flashed a smile. "Thank you."

The other one looked surprised. "For what?"

"You were there for Yuuko when she needed help."

"All I did was what I was programed to do. I just made Yuuko more distant with who she really is and made her suffer. To be honest…the reason why I'm staying in this mansion, is so nobody would be aware of me."

"So, that "ghost of a white boy" stuff we heard about was you." Arata said.

The white-haired Yuugo laughed. "Ghost? That's pretty accurate when you think about it. A ghost of Zaxon. These…Pokemon creatures took a liking to me for some reason. So, I decided to protect them while I was in this mansion."

"So, hold on a second, were you the one who sent plates at us?" Ben asked.

"Plates?"

"Yeah! And you threw vases at us too!" Nokia glared. "What was that for?!"

"Vases? What are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

"All I did was show up in front of people and tell them to leave, and they'd run off, thinking I was a ghost or something. I wouldn't hurt them if I didn't have to."

Nokia, the other Yuugo, Ben and Fei looked at each other worryingly. "So then how did-

Ben held his hand up. "You know what? That's a mystery I'm fine with never solving."

The black-haired Yuugo looked back at the avatar. "You shouldn't blame yourself. What happened wasn't your fault. You were being used by Miss Rie…I mean, Crusadermon. Besides…I'm the one who made her suffer far more."

"What?"

"Everything she did, she did for me. And all I could do was watch. Honestly…you were closer to being her brother than I ever was. Even now we're…still a bit distant after eight years of separation. I'm still adjusting to life."

"I…" the other Yuugo sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that. But please don't give up. She worked so hard to get you back. You're the Yuugo she needs now. Not a constant reminder of her mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Takumi asked. "Did you forget who it was who introduced me and Ami to our Digimon? Or Fei to hers? I don't think that was a mistake."

"And you saved us from that angry Digimon too." Ami smiled. "You had no reason to get yourselves involved but you and Yuuko did anyway."

The avatar chuckled. "Heh…you two always were a soft touch…But it doesn't matter now. All of you and Yuuko should get back home. To the lives you fought so hard for. Where is she anyway?" Everyone looked at each other grimly. "What's wrong? Is…she alright?"

"Well…she's alive…" Ben said. "But the Pokemon Pinchers have taken her prisoner along with my partner, Summer."

The Yuugo that lead Zaxon was never one to show fear. Until now the only time he looked afraid was during what happened at Under Zero. But now… "What?!"

"We have to find them." Takumi said. "Right now we have one of their leaders in custody. Hopefully she will tell us where they are."

"I see…in that case…" The white-haired Yuugo snapped his fingers. Two Digimon appeared next to him. A Guilmon and a Haguramon. "Yuugo. Take these with you."

"Those Digimon…are they…?"

"The Haguramon was once Machindramon. The Guilmon was RizeGreymon. I found them in this mansion as well."

"I see…the Digimon you and Yuuko used."

"I want you to take them with you and save Yuuko."

"But what about you?"

The white-haired Yuuko sighed. "I'm just a burden to her. It's best that she forgot about me. I'm honestly hoping that I'll disappear eventually. I'm an anomaly."

"What? How can you say that?!"

"I'm not real. Just a digital entity."

"We're digital entities too." Togamon said. "Does that mean we're not real?"

"Every bit of you is real!" Yuugo continued. "You made the choice to come here! You made your own decisions! You're not me or Yuuko! You're a living being of your own with free will! You shouldn't think so little of your life!" The raven-haired boy had a though. "Yuugo…heh, it's weird using that name to refer to someone else. But I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Right now, I'm a cyber entity like you. Do you think it's possible for you to merge with my mental data?"

Everyone went silent. "I…suppose it is a possibility." The avatar replied. "But…to store all that info into your mind…I don't know what will happen to you if we tried that."

"Yuugo, don't! What if something happens to you?! How will we explain that to Yuuko?!" Fei asked.

"I'm doing this for her too." The boy replied. "Yuugo Kamishiro…Yuugo of Zaxon…I think the two of us together can be the brother that Yuuko deserves. Besides, this guy is better at handling Digimon then I am."

The avatar looked surprised. But a smile came to his face. "Very well. Thank you…Yuugo Kamishiro." The avatar walked over to Yuugo. Everyone went silent as he placed a hand on his counterpart's forehead. "Haguramon. Guilmon…We'll be counting on you."

The gear shaped Digimon nodded. "My allegiance as always will be with Yuugo. Ergo I shall continue to serve the combination of the two Yuugos."

"Once we find Yuuko, I'll be siding with her." The red dragon Digimon said. "But until then I'll fight with you, so we can save her."

"That's right…" Ami said. "You're Yuuko's Digimon. Gaiomon."

The avatar looked back at Yuugo. "Here goes…" In a bright flash he disappeared, and Yuugo started to glow white. Once he stopped glowing, he looked at his hands.

"So…how do you feel?" Arata asked. "Are you alright?"

Yuugo smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I- Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his head. He clutched it in his hands and hunched over. "Ngh?! Agh…!"

"Yuugo!" Takumi and the others ran over to him. "Are you okay?! Say something!"

"Ugh…! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Yuugo collapsed on the floor and slightly trembling with his eyes widened.

"What's happening to him?!" Nokia asked.

"He's having a seizure!" Ben said. "Back up! Don't crowd him!"

Yuugo heard voices echoing in him mind. Then he realised they were all his voice.

"_What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."_

"_Some call me the "Wrath of EDEN"._

"_That's right, I haven't introduced myself. I am Yuugo. Yuugo from Team Zaxon."_

"_No more of this high-handed foolishness. Your style has lead the group too far astray."_

"_Zaxon's rules must never be broken."_

"…_I see, you've got good eyes. Plus, it seems our… "interests" are aligned."_

"_I pry your actions are benefiting of a guardian." _

"_I am not going to lose any more people."_

"_That's enough sweet dreams. Do it, Machinedramon."_

"_You always rush in without thinking. We all worry about you."_

"_Get out of here. Never set foot in EDEN again."_

"_Someone from Kamishiro hired you?"_

"_You mean to bring shame to the Zaxon name?"_

"_You should get out of here, fast. I've disabled security in the surrounding area. If you go now, you should be able to get out safely."_

"_Nokia… If at all possible, I would rather not fight you. Just don't interfere with me. With Zaxon."_

"_If there are any who share our aspirations, then join us! For Under Zero!"_

"_If I can just get to Under Zero, I can redo all of this. I can *recreate* EDEN as its creator originally envisioned."_

"_Once I break through security, the truth behind EDEN will be mine, and I will personally be able to restore order."_

"_Even if what you say is true, I have my personal reasons for not being able to stop now."_

"_Very well. I don't plan on losing, though."_

"_You seem to still have it."_

"_Fei?! What on earth is that Digimon?"_

"_Why do you have to interfere?! I just want to save the world that was my father's dream!"_

"_Miss Rie…Why? Why would you do this?"_

"_That can't be…my brother?!"_

"_I am "Yuugo" leader of the Zaxons."_

"_Yuugo, the "ideal hacker" who was designed to unify all the hackers of EDEN…That is who I am."_

"_I see…Okay, from now on let's protect EDEN together!"_

"_Machinedramon and I fight together. It seems he still sees me as "Yuugo." RizeGreymon…It seems he's chosen you."_

"_How we think, where we live, our Digimon, our friends…We are completely different." _

"_I see…I suppose I have to disappear then."_

"_I see. In that case…"_

Yuugo laid motionlessly on the floor with his eyes closed. Everyone just stared at him. Nokia took a step closer. "Is…is he…?"

Ben walked over and checked his pulse. "He's alive. But it looks like he'll be out for a while. It isn't safe here, can one of you help me carry him?"

"Right." Fei nodded as she hurried over to him. She and Ben each lifted an arm over their shoulders and carried him out of the room. The others followed.

* * *

Once outside the mansion, Ami let out a deep breath. Takumi walked over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…Um, guys? I'm sorry for running off on my own like that…"

"Just don't do it again." Nokia said. "Seriously, it's the Aiba trademark to run off on your own, I swear!"

"This world must have something strange in the air, because this is the second time Nokia and I agreed on something." Arata said. "But frankly I'm just glad you're safe."

"Yeah…same here."

"Thanks…" Ami smiled.

Ben grinned at them. "Well that makes three. Are we sure two aren't twins?"

"You take that back RIGHT THIS MINUTE CHUMP!" Nokia and Arata yelled simultaneously. Everyone else laughed.

But the moment was short lived when a big sphere of light flashed. Celebi came out of the light and flew over to Ben. "Bii!"

"Whoa! Where'd that thing come from?!" Arata asked.

"Aw! It's a cute little guy!" Nokia smiled. "Is this another Pokemon?"

"That's the Pokemon we encountered in Cocona Village!" Takumi said. Pichu growled at it.

"Wait…" Ben let go of Yuugo and walked over towards the Pokemon.

"Uh, Ben, what are you doing?" Terriermon asked.

"Bi, Bi!" A bright flash enveloped Celebi and Ben.

"Hey, what the…?! Ben!" As Takumi ran towards them, the light shrunk. Just before it disappeared Pichu jumped in.

"EEEEEH?! What just happened, where'd they go?!" Nokia asked.

Takumi sighed. "Not again."

* * *

Ben dropped down into Cocona Plazza. He turned around to see Ravio, Tanver, and Kira. "Uh…hi guys."

As Tanvir and Kira and approached Ben, Ravia went up to Celebi. "Celebi! Where have you been? I've been Looking for you!"

"Pichu!"

Ben looked behind him to see his confused partner. "Pichu! You came with us?"

"Bi!"

Ben looked at the Pokemon as he flew over to him. "Celebi…this clearly isn't some kind of joke. This is the third time and you look worried every time I see you. Is there something you're trying to say?" Celebi took Ben's arm and pulled him towards the nearby gate.

"…Celebi? Is there a reason you keep bringing Ben to our time?" Tanver asked.

Ravio's eyes lite up. "Are you saying…We should ask Ben to check on the temples?"

Celebi let go and smiled with glee. "Bi, Bi!"

Ben looked at the door for a moment. Something about it felt…ominous. Then out of the blue it burst open and a Piplup came out. Following it, was a man in a mysterious silver armor. "Whoa! Who are you?!"

Kira stepped towards him. "…All you temple oracles! What's happening in the temples? Why did you close the door?"

The armored man hesitated before giving his response. "I will not answer your questions."

"What? What are you saying?" Tanvir asked.

"We are the ones to control the world. You are the ones to be controlled."

"What are you saying?" Kira asked. "We come from the same region! Aren't we all friends? Stop making these terrible jokes!"

"He doesn't look friendly or funny to me." Ben said with a stern look.

The man laughed. "The Steelhead can use this mysterious armor to use a Pokemon's power any way we like. Those with no such powers…must bow down to us!" The Steelhead brought his hands out before bringing them close together and focusing. The Piplup growled as it approached.

Ben turned to the others. "Guys, get back, quick! Pichu, let's go! Capture on!"

The Piplup shot a bubble at Ben who jumped to the side and shot his Styler. The Steelhead's eyes were on the device. "What's this?"

Pichu sent a Thundershock at Piplup immobilizing it as Ben swiped his arm to the side, drawing circles around it. Once he stopped and returned the Styler to his wrist Piplup fell over. "Was that what you were telling me about?" Ravio asked in awe.

"Yup."

The Steelhead growled. "You simpletons…will later regret defeating me here."

He walked back through the doorway, leaving his Pokemon behind. Ravio turned to his Pokemon friend. "Celebi…You've been worried about the Pokemon in the temples. Right? You've been warning us all this time, haven't you? I had no idea. Sorry, Celebi…" The boy then excitedly looked at the Ranger. "Thank you, Ben! Celebi must have known what you're capable of!"

"I guess…first things first, let's close and barricade this door before more of those guys come by."

Tanver nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

While Ben, Kira and Tanver made sure the doorway was sealed, Ravio, Celebi and Piplup listened to Pichu play music. Tanver dusted off his hands and he, Kira and Ben walked over to them. "That oracle…looked as if he was under a spell or something."

Kira looked away. "Controlling the world and mistreating Pokemon…Those cannot be the words of the temple oracles."

"So, there are more guys like that?" Ben asked.

"Yup. The temples are full of them."

"Ho boy. If all of them are acting like that right now…"

"I know…" Tanver looked back at the gate. "Now I'm worried about the Pokemon inside the temples, too."

Ravio stepped forward. "I'll go with Celebi to rescue them!"

"Calm down, Ravio. The temple will be full of danger. Controlled Pokemon may attack you."

Kira turned to Ben. "Ben, that twirling thing you did to help the Piplup snap out of it…That's what you call a capture in your time, right?"

"That's right. We use this to express our feelings of friendship to other Pokemon."

"With that thing, maybe Ben can investigate the temples!"

"Yeah…That's why Celebi attacked me when I first met him. He was testing me for this."

"We should not rely on somebody from another time. We should be the ones to solve our problems…" Tanvir said before sighing in defeat. "Unfortunately, we are not strong enough. We'll have to ask for Ben's support."

"Guys…I would love to help." Ben sighed. "But the thing is…I have stuff I need to do in my own time right now. There are bad people manipulating Pokemon there as well. And I have friends waiting for me. And my best friend…she's in captivity. I have to save her." Everyone looked at him worryingly. "But…once I'm done with all that, I promise I'll come back here and help you."

"Really?" Ravio asked.

Ben smiled and nodded. "Of course! It's my duty as a Pokemon Ranger to help people and Pokemon in need!"

"Lup!"

"Pi!" Everyone looked behind Ben to see Piplup playing with Pichu. Both of them bounced over to Ben. The Water Type was looking hopefully into Ben's eyes.

"Piplup? Pichu? Are you saying you'll help us?" Ravio asked.

"Lup! Lup!"

"Pichu!"

Kira smirked. "Piplup seems to like you. You look more reliable than Tanvir, Ben."

The older man sighed again. "…I guess you're right. It hurts my pride a bit, though. Anyway, come visit us whenever you are ready. I'm sure Piplup will be waiting for you too, Ben."

Ben nodded. "I bet Takumi and the others will be happy to help too."

"Takumi?" Kira asked. "Who's that, another Pokemon Ranger?"

"No, he's a Cyber Sleuth. Long story. Anyway, Celebi can bring all of us here, and once I rescue Summer she'll definitely-

"Hold on a second." Everyone looked to Ben's right to see an elderly woman dressed in green with purple hair nearby.

"Who are you?" Ben asked.

"…Wise Woman? Is there something else Ben should know?" Tranvir asked as they walked over to her."

"I have something to share with you before you go back to the future, Ben."

"Something important?" Kira asked.

Ben folded his arms. "What's up?"

"Time flows…like a river. Time flows, and eventually reaches your time, Ben. You may be able to go back in time like swimming upstream. But it doesn't change the flow of the river…Time itself cannot go back, you see?"

"I'm sorry, but what's your point?"

"Listen carefully, Ben. You should not talk about our time when you go back. Some of those who hear may try to change the flow of time."

Tanvir looked at her in surprise. "Are you suggesting…there may be some who go against nature?"

"Something like that."

"What? Takumi and the others aren't like that…" Ben protested before he glanced away. "But I see your point. It's dangerous to tell people about Celebi. If the Pinchers somehow find out they wouldn't rest until they capture him. And it probably isn't a good idea to crowd the past with people that shouldn't be here."

Wise Woman smiled gently. "You understand well. And at such a young age…"

"So, everything about us is a secret between Ben, Pichu and Celebi in the future!" Ravio said. "Celebi, do you understand that?"

"Bi!" the Pokemon nodded with a smile.

"We can keep, secrets, right pal?" Ben winked. Pichu nodded. Ben then turned to the others. "Until we come back keep that door shut no matter what. Piplup, can you help them out if something happens?" The water Pokemon nodded. "Thanks. Let's see…Celebi, I'll come to the place I first met you at Cocona Village once I finish with my mission. Wait for me there and don't let anyone see you."

"Okay then…" Tanvir said. "Ravio, Celebi, it's time."

Ravio nodded. "Celebi, send Ben and Pichu back to the future time." Everyone turned to the Ranger. "Ben! Pichu! Bye for now! See you another time!"

Celebi let out a cry and another light swallowed up Ben and Pichu. "Take care everyone!" Ben waved before they disappeared. Celebi followed them into the light.

* * *

Fei stared at Yuugo, who was still unconscious and slumped against the wall of the mansion. "Just hang in there Yuugo…" She heard footsteps and saw the others come towards her in all directions. "Did you find them?"

"No. We can't find them anywhere." Ami shook her head. "Ben, Pichu, and that Pokemon aren't around here."

"Great. Just great! Now what do we do?" Arata asked.

Everyone sighed and looked down. Suddenly they saw a flash and looked up to see another bright light in the sky. Ben dropped down in front of them with Pichu on his shoulder. The light flew away. "BEN!" Everyone ran up to him.

"Are you alright?!" Takumi asked.

"You jerk! You had us worried!" Nokia complained.

Ben was looking at the direction the light flew off in. Ami had to wave her hand in front of him to get his attention. "What's wrong? You're spacing out."

"Huh? Oh…sorry."

"This is just like what happened to you before…"

"What happened to you just now?" Guilmon asked.

"Oh, it's uh…nothing."

"Again, that's all you have to say?!" Takumi asked.

Nokia stared at Ben like he was nuts. "Okay, I don't know what that was, but it most certainly WAS NOT NOTHING!"

"Don't worry, it's not important."

"You sure about that?" Takumi asked, unconvinced. "Because if you ask me-

"Nnngh…" Everyone looked over to Yuugo. He was starting to stir.

Fei was the first to run over to him with the others close behind. "Yuugo! Are you okay?!"

The boy's eyes fluttered open. "Fei? Everyone? Where…?"

"You're outside the mansion." Ben explained. "After you merged with that other Yuugo you passed out. You feeling alright?"

Yuugo slowly stood up, using the wall to support himself with a hand over his head. "This feels…odd. It's like I've lived two separate lives…memories of the other Yuugo are in my head as if they were always my own…I see everything my sister has done with this avatar…and everything she suffered through…all because of me…" Nobody knew what to say to him. "Now I want to save Yuuko even more."

"To make it up to her?" Arata asked.

"Well…that as well. I want to apologize to her for it…but at the same time…" Yuugo smiled. "I want to let her know just how proud of her I am."

"I shall support." Haguramon said floating over to him. "I will provide all my efforts in protecting you."

"Thank you, Haguramon. I've been such an awful brother to Yuuko. I've been hesitant to connect with her because of guilt for what she did for me…but that changes now."

"Can't be worse of a brother then I am." Takumi said looking down. "At least you didn't traumatize Yuuko like I did Ami."

Ami looked at her brother sadly. "Takumi…"

"I'd say you both shouldn't be so hard on yourselves…But I'm not one to talk. I can write a book this big about self-loathing and making stupid mistakes." Arata said holding up the Legends of Oblivia book.

"Oh, for pete's sake!" Nokia sighed. "You boys are all too hard on yourselves! I mean come on! We just pulled off a sweet victory and you're ruining the mood by being a bunch of downers!"

"As dense as the dope is, she has a point." Fei smiled. "Why don't ya three man up and stop dwellin' in the past?"

"If you guys were half as awful as you think you are, you wouldn't have nearly as many friends as you do now!" Ami smiled. "Take our word for it if not your own! You guys are awesome!"

"Sheesh, do you have to make it sound so lame?" Arata sighed. But he smiled when he saw Ami's peppy face. "Oh well. At least a certain someone has her cheerfulness back."

Nokia put an arm around Ami and grinned. "See, Takumi! Ami's happy now! So, take that frown off for your pretty, little sister, will ya? Besides, a brother that's still willing to give his sister a piggyback ride at the age you two are can't be that bad!"

A smile slowly rose to Takumi's face. "Right."

Yuugo smiled as well. "Thank you everyone. I feel better already. And Fei?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for everything. You were always there for Yuuko. And me while we were in Zaxon."

Fei got a bit flustered. "C-come on now, you two mean a lot to me. Besides I don't even remember any of that Zaxon stuff."

"Oh yeah. That's true. But it doesn't change facts. You've done so much for us. Thanks."

"Well…shall we head back?" Ben asked happy to see his friends in good spirits. Everyone nodded. Together they walked down the dirt path, leaving the mysterious mansion behind.

But shortly after they left, a small white creature with red eyes walked out of the mansion. It had an anonymous red aura around it. It hissed and in a bright flash it transformed. Now it was bigger and pink. It stood on two legs and had scythes on its arms.

"More…Must find more Digimon…I'm still hungry!"

* * *

**Like I promised here's our Hagurumon. What do you mean that's not what you had in mind? Sure it was. Anyway, I'll leave it to those who played Hackers Memory to see if they can figure out who that fellow at the end was.**


	14. Chapter 14: Proposing a Trade

**After finding the "Legends of the Oblivia Region" Yuugo mets the avatar of himself his sister once used to lead tha Hacking Team Zaxion. After Yuugo merged it with his Mental Data and became one with it, Ben was once again sent to the past by Celibi, where he learned of the temple oracles who have gone rouge. The Ranger promises Ravio and his frineds to aid them as soon as he finishes his mission in his own time and returns to his friends to inform Rand of their discovery and their capture of Blue Eyes. **

* * *

Once everyone reached Tilt Village Ben performed a Guardian Sign to call Raikou. "So, this is what ya'll were talking about." Fei said.

Ben turned to them. "I'm going to tell Rand and the others what happened. Arata, can I have the book? I'll give it to Leanne and Kyoko to look at."

"Sure." Arata said handing the book over.

"On your way back, bring Date and Matayoshi." Ami said. "They might be able to help with Blue Eye's interrogation."

"Got it. You guys help Murph with interrogating Blue Eyes. I don't see him being much of a bad cop if you know what I'm saying." Ben said climbing on Raikou. If a flash of thunder they took off.

"So, we're the bad cops then?" Takumi sighed.

"Heeey! Guys!" Murph ran up the log steps.

"Murph! How's Blue Eyes?" Palmon asked.

"I've been trying to question her aboard the Union. It has turned out more like I'm the one being questioned. It looks like this is going to take a while. Where's Ben?"

"He went on ahead to report to Rand." Arata said. "He's going to fetch detectives Matayoshi and Date while he's at it. They'll make Blue Eyes talk."

"Okay. I'll continue with my questioning on The Union."

"Let us help." Ami said. "Maybe we can get something out of her."

"Okay. Thank you!"

* * *

Ben and Pichu entered Rand's house. The other Ranger and his family along with Kyoko Matayoshi and Date were talking around the table. "Hey, guys!"

"Welcome back!" Nema smiled. "How is the Styler working?"

"Pretty good, thanks."

Nema walked over to him. "Show it to me for a second…" Ben took off the disk and gave it to her. "Yep. It looks fine."

"Thanks for your good work." Rand smiled. "Sorry to be abrupt, but can you give me a report?"

"Sure thing."

"Say, where are Kyo-Kyo's young assistants and their friends?" Matayoshi asked.

"Well…"

* * *

Blue Eyes was tied to a chair in front of a desk that Ami was standing at the other end of. "The Digimon! Where did you get it?!"

"Digi what?"

"You put it in the Wireless Tower!"

"Oh, that weird program? Don't look at me. I just got it from my boss and was told to install it. Never told me what it was or what it does."

"And who's your boss? "This "Red Eyes" person you mentioned?"

"I told you I don't know that either! My boss just contacts me every now and then wirelessly!"

Ami sighed as he left a small room in The Union to join the others. "No luck?" Palmon asked.

"Nope. She's claiming not to know anything."

"Pfft! You're just softer than frozen yogurt!" Nokia said. "Step, back, let me try!" The girl walked into the room. "TELL US WHERE YUUKO IS!" Nokia screamed, slamming her hands on the desk.

Blue Eyes winced. "No! And for crying out loud, stop shouting!"

"…Please?"

"No."

Nokia didn't move at first, then she walked back out of the room. "Sorry, that's all I got. Heh, heh." Takumi, Ami, Fei, Yuugo and Arata groaned.

"What the heck was Ben thinking, we know nothing about this stuff!" Arata complained.

* * *

Ben had just finished explaining what happened at the Mansion. "What? You caught the Pinchers' leader, Blue Eyes?" Rand asked.

"Yup. She's the one who messed up the tower."

"That's amazing! Now we may finally be able to figure out what the Pinchers are up to! You guys did an excellent job!" Rand grinned.

Tokomon was in Nema's computer with Calumon in the middle of the table. "Does this mean you can find your friends now? That's great!" Calumon cheered.

"We have her at the Union." Ben explained. "Ami wanted me to grab Detectives Matayoshi and Date. Figured they might help with getting info out of her."

"Gladly!" the policewoman grinned cracking her knuckles. "I wouldn't mind a piece of this creep!"

"Ho, boy." Matayoshi sighed. "Once Date gets worked up who knows what will happen next." He then flashed a smile. "I guess I'd better go with you."

"In any case, you have Amun's book with you, right?" Kyoko asked. "That will prove valuable in getting to the bottom of this mystery."

"Oh, yeah." Ben took the book out. "Your assistants thought you and Leanne might find something useful in here."

"Heh. They sure have a lot of faith in us. Very well. We'll prove that it's not misplaced."

Ben handed the book to Leanne. "Legends of the Oblivia Region." The woman said, opening the book as Kyoko went to join her. "I've heard rumors about it, but it really exists."

"Amun wasn't one for handwriting, was he?" Kyoko asked. "The writing's small and cramped."

"Look how thick that thing is." Date said. "That's gotta be the mother of all giant books!"

"Yeah. But Leanne will have finished reading it before you know it." Rand smiled.

"Unfortunately, it's not going to be that simple." Kyoko replied.

Leanne nodded. "Either Amun was a very strange person, or half of the book is written in Oblivia's ancient script."

"But why were the Pinchers after this book? Perhaps it has something to do with what happened at Rasp Cavern."

Leanne looked up at Ben. "It may take a little while, but I'll try to read it. We're going to borrow this book, okay?"

"Go right ahead."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you one thing about the Signs. In addition to riding Raikou and getting its assistance, it was possible for the ancient heroes to call Friend Pokemon with a single Sign. You must direct your feelings of friendship towards that one Pokemon in order to call it. That is the same for both People and Pokemon. If you find another strange figure, you might want to record it in your Styler."

Ben looked at the gadget on his wrist. "Got it."

"By the way, the Wireless Tower repairs are unfortunately taking longer than I though." Rand sighed. "I wrote a report of everything that happened up to this point, so I want you to give it to Murph from Union PR." He walked over and handed a letter to Ben.

"Leave it to me."

"I wonder how many years it's been since I wrote a report by hand. I never would have though being cut off from the wireless communication would be so inconvenient."

"Ha, ha! You Rangers have it easy!" Matayoshi laughed. "Back at home nearly all of our messages to each other need to be in code!"

"Well, then Kyoko, shall we get started?" Leanne asked.

"Of course. Let me go make us my special blend. Some coffee should help us work."

Matayoshi's eyes went wide with panic. He desperately turned to Ben. "Er, say Ben, Date, perhaps we should hurry over to where Takumi and the others are! I don't like the idea of leaving those kids with a criminal leader, it's dangerous!"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Guess we shouldn't keep them waiting. See you guys later."

Date gave Matayoshi as the two of them and Ben walked out. "Sir? You seem like you're in a hurry. I mean, I know this is important, but a little coffee before work never hurt anyone."

Matayoshi tilted his hat down as they stood outside. "Trust me, I just did us a huge favor. I couldn't save Rand's family from what's coming. If only I warned them sooner…"

Ben glanced at him with a raised brow. "What are you-You know what, that can wait. Let's get over to the others." He jumped into the air. "Go Guardian Sign! Raikou, come forth!" Ben drew Raikou's sign and the legendary Pokemon appeared in front of them in a burst of lightning. "Okay, let's go!"

"Er…I guess we have to ride this fellow to get past the bridge, don't we?" Matayoshi gulped. "Oh, well, I doubt it can be worse than whatever is going into the coffee, Kyo-Kyo's making…"

"Ugh…Fine, but if I fall off, I'll never forgive you!" Date growled.

* * *

Murph, along with Takumi, Ami, Arata, Nokia, Yuugo and their Digimon stood out on the deck just outside of The Union when Ben, Matayoshi and Date arrived. The detectives where trying to regain composure. "Sir…Let's not do this ever again." Date groaned.

"S-sure. But only because I think three people is hard on Raikou's back! And It's not 'cause I'm scared either, got me! Okay?!"

"O-of course! Me neither!"

"Detectives! Over here!" Takumi waved.

"Hey, welcome back!" Murph greeted Ben. "Did you make sure to tell them about my heroics?"

Arata rolled his eyes. "Yes, never forget how you "heroically" fell through a hole in the floor."

"Or how you made a "heroic" fool of yourself, smashing your face into a gate." Keramon added.

"Ah, you're Murph of PR, right?" Matayoshi asked. "I'm detective Matayoshi, of our worlds police department. Nice to meet you. This is my subordinate Date. She's a hothead, but she puts effort into her work."

"Nice to meet you too! Oh, by the way, how's the Wireless Tower looking?"

"It's gonna take a while." Ben sighed, taking out Rand's letter and handing it to Murph.

"What's this?"

"Rand wrote a report for the Union."

Murph opened the letter and gave it a scan. "The amount needed to repair…I see…The extent of the damage is written in great detail. Hmmmm…Since there's no spare antenna, it looks like it will take a long time to fix."

"Never mind that, where's this "Blue Eyes?!" Date asked. "I've got a few words for her!"

"Sh-she's inside the Union. Fei is trying to talk to her right now."

"On who's authority?! This is police work! Step aside!" Date ran towards the ship.

"Date, wait! Oh, good grief." Matayoshi sighed. "Well, leave this matter to us. We'll let you know if we find anything out."

"Sure. I'll go on patrol in the meantime." Ben replied before the elderly detective went towards the ship. "Hey, any of you want to join me?"

"I'll go." Takumi volunteered.

"Me too." Ami nodded.

"Same here." Nokia said.

"It might be best that the rest of us stay here in case Blue Eyes tries to escape." Yuugo said.

"Good point." Ben nodded. "Okay, we'll just be off for an hour or so."

Takumi looked at Ben. "Did you give Kyoko that book?"

"Yup. She seems really into it. Even went to make some "special blend" of coffee."

Nokia turned pale. "Oh, no."

"What?"

Arata cringed. "Oh dear. Rand and his family were good people. It was nice knowing them."

* * *

Once Ben crossed the bridge with Raikou, he and the others decided to proceed on foot. "SHE PUTS _WHAT _INTO HER COFFEE?!" Ben asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah…" Nokia cringed. "It's crazy, I know. And do you know what's even crazier? These two are actually starting to like it!"

Everyone turned to Takumi and Ami. "Seriously?" Palmon asked. "You're not throwing it up anymore? Or passing out? Or throwing up and then passing out?"

"I know it's weird." Takumi admitted. "But after we got our bodies back, it…just didn't taste funny anymore."

"Maybe you two should still be in a hospital." Terriermon groaned.

"Well…that aside, Kyoko seems like a nice person." Ben said.

Takumi and Ami smiled. "Yeah. I don't know where we'd be if we never met her." The boy said.

His sister added. "She's so kind and is always giving us insight!"

"Heh, heh! She sounds like a mother to you!" Ben laughed.

"She kinda is…our mom is always working abroad, so she's rarely around. Don't get me wrong, she's a good mother, and we love her of course. She needs to do it to pay the rent after all."

"What about your dad?" Ben asked. Everyone went silent. Takumi and Ami looked down. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Our father passed away while we were young." Takumi replied.

Ben was shocked to hear that. "I…Takumi…Ami…I'm sorry, I-

"It's fine."

Ben decided to change the subject as fast as possible. "Um...so...what made you two decide to be Kyoko's assistants? At first it was just so you two could find a way to return to your bodies, right?"

"Yeah. But as we continued to work with her, we found the cases we took so exciting." Takumi smiled. "And it felt so good to help people and Digimon."

"Not to mention we see all kinds of mysterious things. It felt so good when we discovered the answer to a mystery." Ami added.

"That all sounds a lot like how I view my job." Ben smiled.

"You three are like peas in a pod!" Nokia giggled.

"You think so? I guess Cyber Sleuths and Pokemon Rangers aren't that far apart."

"Oh, Ranger!" Everyone saw a man run up to them. "What great timing!"

"Hello. Is something wrong?" Ben asked.

"I just came down Mt. Latolato from the Wireless Tower. You know there are Graveler there, don't you?"

"Grava-what now?" Nokia asked.

"They're Rock/Ground type Pokemon." Ben explained. "They have four arms and are shaped like boulders." He then turned back to the man. "Was their something wrong with them?"

"Yes, they were acting a bit strange."

"Strange?"

"They are usually rock solid. But they seemed nervous. I wonder if anything's happening to the Graveler. Am I overly worried? Could you go and check on them for me?"

Ben nodded. "I'd be glad to help."

"Oh, would you? Thank you, Ranger. I think the Graveler are on the way to the Wireless Tower. I'm counting on you."

Ben turned to his friends. "Let's hurry. They might attack Burkhart while he's fixing the tower." Takumi, Ami, and Nokia nodded before they all ran off.

* * *

They were quick to get to the path to tower. On the way there, planning ahead, Ben caught a Piplup, while Takumi, Ami and Nokia Digivolved their Digimon to Champion level. It wasn't long before they spotted the two rock Pokemon. One was scared and the other looked angry. Both looked ready to attack.

"Whoa! Those things look pretty tense!" Gargomon gulped.

"Let me handle this!" Ben said "I'll see if I can calm them down! Pichu, Piplup, let's go! Capture on!" As Pichu played music, Piplup shot bubbles at them and Ben drew some loopes while dodging thrown rocks. The angrier one took a bit longer to calm but soon both looked peaceful. "There! I think that did it!"

"Gravel!" Both happily ran over to Ben and his Pokemon, now smiling.

"Good going Ben!" Nokia smiled. "I tell ya, that Styler thing does wonders!"

"Noooo!" A male and female Pincher flew over to them on their Z.Z. Fliers. "The Graveler are full of energy again!" the woman whined. "So much for us working hard to make them weak."

"So, you're the ones responsible for this, huh?" Ben asked with his arms crossed. The Graveler hid behind him.

"That's right Ranger." The male nodded. "Our plan of using Water-group Pokemon to weaken the Graveler so we could eventually take them all away is now back to square one because of you!"

"You are forcing us to do this!" the woman glared.

Two Wooper jumped out of the bushes and towards Ben. "Oh, no you don't!" Ami yelled. "Togamon!"

"Gargomon!"

"Ripping Net!" Takumi and Ami's Digimon threw a wave of electricity a them, striking them both in mid-air and making them drop to the floor. Both were paralyzed. Ben was quick to tame them with his Styler.

"Wow, these cute little things had those big rock Pokemon so scared?" Nokia asked.

Takumi turned to her. "Looks can be deceiving. Remember how dumbstruck we were when we found out little Agumon and Gabumon were something as big and powerful as Omnimon?"

"Good point!"

"Oh, no. I thought we'd surly win…" the male Pincher scowled.

"Pull yourself together." The other one replied. "We'll have to reflect on this when we get back. Let's give it up and retreat!"

"Gravel!" The two Pokemon started throwing rocks at them.

"Yikes! Yeah, let's get out of here!"

As they flew off the woman shrieked as one of the rocks bounced off of her Z.Z. Flyer. The man yelped as one hit him in the back.

"Yeah, that's what you get!" Nokia yelled. "Look at these things! Yeah they look big and mean but they're kinda sweet!"

"Gravel! Gravel!" The Pokemon rolled around them in circles.

The man from before jogged over to them. "I saw the whole thing! Ranger, you, your friends and these talking Pokemon saved the Graveler!"

"It was nothing. But these things are called Digimon." Ben explained.

"Digimon? I'll remember that. Thank you all so much!"

"You really worry about these guys huh?" Ami asked.

The man nodded. "I used to play with them as a kid. I think I'll bring them home and have them checked for any injuries. Thanks again for your help!"

As the man and the Graveler walked away Ben posed. "Quest Clear!"

"That pose is pretty cool!" Nokia giggled. "Hey, Takumi, Ami, you should come up with poses!"

"Uh…I'm good thanks." The boy sighed in exasperation.

"Yeah, I'll pass." Ami added.

"Oh, come on! Don't be such…such…"

Ami tilted her head. "…Such?"

"Wh-why is that rock glowing?!"

Ben turned around and saw a black rock with a glowing figure. "That…looks like the figure I saw when we fought Raikou!"

"I see a bright light but no figure." Takumi said. "Could it be another Guardian Sign?"

Ben looked at it and then drew the shape in the Styler with his finger. Shortly after the light died down. "I bet I can call those Graveler with this."

"That means more help we have on our side!" Ami said.

"And more help we can be! And on that note, let's continue our patrol!"

Everyone nodded gleefully.

* * *

After a while, Ben and the others went back to The Union. Murph, Matayoshi and Arata were talking at the deck. Ben waved as they approached. "Hey."

Matayoshi smiled. "Ah, there you are. How was the patrol?"

"We helped out a few people." Takumi replied.

"That's good."

"Any luck here?" Ami asked.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YA DON'T KNOW?!" Everyone shuddered at the sound of Date's voice at the Union. "WHAT KIND OF PATHETIC ANSWER IS THAT! YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT DUMB EXCUSSE?!"

"Does that answer your question?" Arata groaned.

Ben covered his ears. "No wonder everyone in the village seems jumpy."

"She still insists she knows nothing on who her boss is or why they're doing this. She did admit that the stunt on the tower was to cut off electronic communications so the Rangers couldn't call for help, but other than that…" Matayoshi sighed. "I'd say Kyo-Kyo and Leanne are our only hope of learning anything at this rate."

"She still won't say where Summer is?"

"No. I'm sorry Ben, I know you're anxious, but we need a little more time."

"Okay…"

"You're pretty good, Pokemon Ranger." Everyone looked around at the sound of the familiar voice. Then the blond leader from the bridge appeared on a red Z.Z. Flyer. "Kidnapping Blue Eyes is pretty impressive."

"Kidnapping? That's not a nice thing to say!" Murph yelled.

"Yeah, YOU'RE the kidnapper here pal!" Takumi glared. "Unlike Blue Eyes, Yuuko and Ben's partner did nothing wrong!"

"And just who are you anyway?" Matayoshi asked.

"Heh heh heh…" the man landed his Z.Z. Flyer and folded his arms as the wind blew at his hair. "I'm the red leader of the Pinchers. My name is…" He posed with a finger pointed at them. "Red Eyes!"

"So, you're the one Blue Eyes was talking about!" Ami said. "What do you want now?!"

"You kidnapped Blue Eyes. She is a valuable associate. I want her back as soon as possible."

"So, you came to take her back, is that it?" Arata asked. "Go ahead and try!"

"Oh, I will. But I'm not an idiot. Brats you may be-plus one old man-but I know better to think I can best you all on my own. Especially if you took out Blue Eyes. And I know there is little chance you will just give her back, so I propose the following: How about a prisoner swap? You can take either your fellow Ranger, Summer or that Yuuko girl, for my colleague Blue Eyes." Everyone's eyes widened. "There's no way you can say no."

"Hold on, you want us to choose between Yuuko and Summer?!" Nokia asked. "That's not fair!"

"Neither is me surrendering two prisoners for one."

"Oh? You sure about that?" all eyes were now on a smirking Matayoshi.

"What do you mean?"

"Yuuko and Summer don't mean much to you. They don't know anything valuable. Blue Eyes on the other hand could let your secrets slip at any moment. Oh, and for the record my associate Date can be a bit rash. For all I know she might have accidently told Blue Eyes something important."

"AND IF YOU TRY ASKING ME ANY MORE QUESTIONS WHEN IT SHOULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND, I'LL-

"Case in point."

Red Eyes winced at the sound of shouting from the boat. He then looked at the detective again. "So, you're saying that I should give both your girls back since I need Blue Eyes back more than I can use them?"

"I'd say it's safe to assume we have a bit more bargaining power."

Takumi and Ami smirked. Matayoshi's detective skills never cease to amaze them. Red Eyes grinned. "Heh. Well played old timer. I guess wisdom really does come with age. Okay! It's decided! I'll give both Summer and Yuuko back for Blue Eyes, under one tiny condition." He said waving one finger.

"And what would that be?" Ben asked.

"I chose the place of the exchange."

"Hmmm…I suppose we're not coming to a compromise on that any time soon…Alright. What do you have in mind?" the Matayoshi asked.

"The Daybreak Ruins are to the east of Tilt Village. I'll be waiting for you there, Ranger." Red Eyes said looking at Ben. "However, you and Blue Eyes should come alone. If you bring anyone else with you, I can't guarantee Summer's safety."

Ben growled.

"Pichu!" Ben's partner Pokemon pounced at Red Eyes.

"Oh!" the man smirked jumping back, to evade. "What's wrong, Pichu? Are you trying to say that you'll go too?"

Ben slightly smiled at his friend's support. "Pichu…"

Red Eyes laughed. "Fine. Take your Pokemon along. Without their Pokemon Rangers are pretty useless. Ha, ha, ha!"

"Oh, and how are you jerks any different?!" Terriermon asked.

For the first time Red Eyes looked shocked. "What the…did that Pokemon just talk back to me?"

"I'm a Digimon! Do I need to carry a sign or something that says that around!?"

"Digimon? Interesting…" Red Eyes then boarded his Z.Z. Flyer. "Well, then, since you're bringing Pokemon I think it's fair if I brought let's say…two of my Pinchers with me as backup just in case. Don't worry. No more than two, you have my word. I'll be waiting Ranger!" He then flew off.

"What a relief! Summer's okay!" Murph smiled.

"Hmmm…I was expecting him to argue a bit more over the two prisoners for one deal." Matayoshi said glumly. "But he immediately complied if it meant doing the swap at Daybreak Ruins. I don't like this Ben. It has to be a trap."

"That makes no difference to me." Ben said. "As long as we get Summer back, I'm game."

"And we're getting Yuuko back too!" Nokia cheered. "We'll all be back together again at long last!"

"I'll tell Date about the swap." Murph said.

Arata was in thought for a bit before turning to Ben. "Hey, Ben, can I look at your Styler one more time before you go?"

"Uh…sure." The Ranger replied handing the disk to him.

"Thanks! Ami, Takumi, Nokia, I'm gonna need you too!" he said running towards The Union.

"Huh? What for? Hey, wait up!" Takumi hollered as he, Nokia and Ami hurried after him.

"I wish we could go with you Ben." Matayoshi said. "I can relate to worrying about a partner."

"It's my fault she's in this mess. I wouldn't want any of you bearing responsibility for my failures."

"Heh…you're too hard on yourself. You did what you could."

Date, Nokia and Murph approached with Blue Eyes who had her hands tied behind her back and her upper legs tied together so she could walk but not run. Another rope wound around her torso with a loose end which Date was using to move her around like a dog on a leash.

"Hey, what's going on?" Blue Eyes asked. "I still have a lot of questions I want to ask you!"

"What was that?" Date asked cracking her knuckles. "Did we not just talk about asking questions?"

"Your friend, Rad Eyes come by and offered to swap Yuuko and Summer for you!" Nokia said.

Blue Eyes looked at her in surprise. "What? You mean Red Eyes?"

"Yeah, that's what I said, wasn't it? Anyway, Ben's taking you to Daybreak Ruins."

"So as much as I hate to say it, you're free." Date scowled as she handed Ben the other end of the rope. "Consider yourself lucky."

"Is that true?" Blue Eyes looked down. "I owe Red Eyes one for this…"

Matayoshi nodded. "He agreed to give up both of his hard-earned prisoners for you alone. I must admit, you have a good friend."

"I understand." Blue Eyes turned to Ben. "Take me to Daybreak Ruins."

"Ben! Blue Eyes is all yours." Murph said.

"Thanks…I can finally see Summer again."

"Well, don't go without your Styler thing." Matayoshi said. "What does Sanada need it for anyway?"

"Huh? O-oh, he just wanted to make sure it was up to stuff." Nokia replied. "This is an important mission after all!"

Arata came back to them and handed Ben his Styler. "Sorry, just checking to see if everything was okay. You're good to go. That guy said Daybreak Ruins are east from here, right? He must have picked that place for some reason. Be on your guard."

"Right." Ben nodded. "Don't worry. I'll bring your friend back to you guys."

"Thanks. We're all counting on you."

After Ben left with Blue Eyes Matayoshi sighed. "I really don't like where this is going."

"I hear you sir." Date nodded. "I don't trust this Red Eyes one bit."

"Oh, don't worry." Arata smirked as he put his hands in his pockets. "We arranged a little…insurance policy if you will."

Both detectives looked at him. "Insurance policy?" Matayoshi raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

* * *

Yuuko and Summer were led outside of their makeshift cell. Their arms were still tied up, meaning they could do little more then walk where they pushed them. Both of them were also still blindfolded so they had no idea what was going on.

"Where are you taking us?" Summer asked as she was pushed. With her thighs still tied, she had a harder time keeping up.

"Our leader agreed on exchanging you two for our other leader. Consider yourselves lucky."

"W-wait! What about my Staraptor?" Summer tried to turn around but was pushed again.

"Keep moving!"

"No! Stop!"

Yuuko heard Summer mention her partner Pokemon before. She could only imagine how worried she was right now. But now they were going to be freed. And the pinchers hadn't found the tracking device yet. If they could get to her friends maybe they could think of something. Maybe. Right now, they were all they could count on.

* * *

**Like I said the Quests with Guardian Signs as rewards are all I am going to show in this story. The rest will get their own after I finish al four arcs. And yes, the Graveler Sign will summon two Graveler in this story even though in the game it just summons one. Makes things more interesting. **


	15. Chapter 15: Enter Entei

**After taking Blue Eyes, one of the commanders of the Pokemon Pinchers into custody, the other commander Red Eyes appeared and offered a prissioner trade. Blue Eyes for Summer and Yuuko. With hopes of saving his friend and Yuugo's sister, Ben sets of with Blue Eyes for Daybreak Ruins**

* * *

Ben continued to walk down the rocky path, still holding the rope that kept Blue Eyes from running away. Just in case Pichu followed close behind her along with a Cyndaquil and a Mothim Ben caught.

"What kind of place is Daybreak Ruins?" Ben asked.

"No idea." Blue Eyes replied.

"My leader!" Ben saw Two Pinchers approach him. "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm sorry to have worried you…" Blue Eyes replied.

"You're the two Pinchers, Red Eyes brought?" Ben asked. "Where is he?"

A female Pincher stepped forward. "It seems like a waste to give back a hostage as valuable as a Ranger. Sooo…We're taking our leader back by force!"

Blue Eyes looked surprised as Ben glared. The other Pincher punched a command in his Control Gauntlet. "Quilava! Ambipom! You're up!"

A monkey with two tails that had massive palms and a blue Fire Type Pokemon with a yellow belly charged towards Ben.

As Ben tied the other end of the rope to a nearby rock so Blue Eyes wouldn't escape, Pichu zapped the Ambipom and Cyndaquil spat fire at the Quilava. The Ambipom was stunned, but the Quilava charged through the attack from its lower form and charged towards it. But Ben dove into Cyndaquil and narrowly got it away in time before looping Quilava with his Styler long enough to make it settle down. Once that was done, he looked at the Ambipom, that was now trapped in a web Mothim spewed at it. It didn't take long to catch it too.

"Nice work guys!"

The Pinchers slowly backed away as their Pokemon fled. "We thought this would work…"

"It looks like we did something not so bright! Forgive us, dear leader!"

Blue Eyes watched them run away as Ben untied the end of her rope from the rock. "Hey, Ranger. Let's just pretend that didn't just happen…"

"Right…" They pressed on and soon they stopped at the entrance of a cave. "Well…this is it. Hang on Summer, I'm coming." As they walked inside. It looked like a bunch of old ruins. "Huh…Red Eyes isn't here. I guess for now all we can do is move forward."

"Hey, wait. Aren't you forgetting something?" Blue Eyes asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Pokemon Rangers do a pose at the start of missions. Red Eyes and I thought that was really cool, so we thought up our own poses."

"Really?"

"Please! Could you do your pose for me?"

"Okay." Ben stepped ack and backflipped and held his Styler up. "How's that?"

"I hate to admit it, but that looked pretty cool. And responding to your enemy's request at that. You're all right."

"Heh, heh. Okay, let's go! Red Eyes and Summer should be up ahead!"

They came across an area that branched into three. Ben took the left path first, only to find a dead end with a Xatuand a Kirlia. They simply stood still allowing Ben an easy capture. Then he took the right bath which was blocked by a strange tablet.

"What's this?"

Suddenly the Xatu he caught spread its wings and shot a bright sphere from it's beak. It the tablet was enveloped in a white light before disappearing.

"Whoa…" Ben looked back at Xatu as it teleported away. "This place is bizarre. Why did Red Eyes want to do the exchange here?" A Sableye jumped out, but Mothim caught it in a web before Ben tamed it with his Styler. "Okay…maybe that's why. All these traps." They turned back and took the middle path. This time it was a longer hall they went down. "What else is in here…"

"Welcome back, my leader. We've been eagerly awaiting you return." Two Pinchers slowly approached them. "Hey, you little yellow ukulele player! Remember these Pichu?"

Two Pichu stepped out from behind the Pinchers. Ben's partner's little eyes widened as he ran in front of the Ranger. "Pichu!"

"We have an offer for you, Ranger. How about trading our leader for these two from Dolce Island? I think the Pichu would agree."

"Pi…chu…"

Ben looked sadly at his partner. He wanted to save Summer. And Takumi's friend too. He misses his partner. His friends miss Yuuko. But he knew Pichu misses his friends as well. He had no idea what to do. "Pichu…I…"

"You guys." Everyone looked at the now scowling Blue Eyes. Even while she was tied up her glare made her look threatening. "This is really insulting…"

The Pinchers panicked. "Oh? Did we hurt your pride?"

The other Pincher looked at his friend. "That's why I was against this! Let's quit with the stupid tricks and use brute force—like usual! My little puppet Pichu, attack!"

As the Pichu charged Ben remember the plan Ami used the last time a Pincher sent one of Pichu's friends at them. "Pichu! Play your ukulele like you did at the tower!"

Pichu started stringing its instrument while sending electricity through it, making it twang. The two Pichu stopped in their tracks and listened to the familiar tune. The smiled and bounced over next to their friend and started dancing.

The Pinchers were taken aback. "The Pichu remembered their homes!"

"The leader's in a bad mood, our Pichu were stolen…What are we doing?"

"That is a very good question." Ben glared. "You know what you _should _be doing? Getting lost! Now beat it!"

As the Pinchers fled the Pichu bounced in circles. "Pichu!"

"Pichu Pichu!"

"Picchuu!"

Ukulele Pichu gave his Ukulele another twang. His friends sparkled with electricity. "Pichu Pichu!"

Ben knead in front of them and smiled. "Good to see you got your friends back Pichu. Do you two think you can get to Tilt Village from here? My friends are there on a giant boat, and Booker should be fixing the bridge nearby." The Pichu nodded and happily left. Ukulele Pichu waved them off.

"The Pichu have been freed, but I wonder when I will finally get to be free." Blue Eyes sighed.

"Why did you stop them then?" Ben asked standing up.

"Because what they tried was the coward's way out. You and Red Eyes made a deal and they should all know to honor it."

"Heh…I wish all of you had that sense of honor." Ben then glanced at a pillar with a blue sphere on top. He looked down to see some writing engraved on the floor. "Raise the light, and the path will be shown…oh, how helpful."

His Kirila shot a purple sphere into the orb and it glowed. A blue light shone from it to an odd statue resembling a Xatu with another orb in the center. As the orb glowed its eye flashed yellow and a stone blockade lowered from a entryway. "This place is nuts. Who built this stuff?" Blue Eyes asked. "And for what?"

"Beats me." Ben said as they moved forward.

* * *

Back in the Union Matayoshi sat at a table with folded arms. "Those kids never cease to surprise me with their tricks. Still…Why does Red Eyes want Ben at Daybreak Ruins?"

"Maybe he's setting up an ambush." Date said.

"Or maybe he thinks there's something in there that might defeat Ben." Murph suggested.

"But that would put Blue Eyes in danger as well." Matayoshi replied. "Wait…"

"What's wrong, sir?" Date asked.

"What if it's the other way around…What if there's something there he wants Ben to defeat?"

* * *

Ben continued through the ruins pulling on the rope tied around Blue Eyes, squeezing her torso.

"Ow! Think you can slow down a little?!"

"The sooner we get through this the sooner I can be sure Red Eyes isn't trying to pull one on me!"

"Red Eyes wouldn't do anything like that."

"Easy for you to say!"

"I've been waiting for you, Ranger!" A lone Pincher stood in front of him with a Xatu.

"Not again." Ben groaned.

"Enough already. If you're going to attack just hurry up and do it." Blue Eyes sighed.

"O-okay, I will! Xatu! Attack!" The Pincher yelled pointing at Ben. But his Pokemon just stood there. "I said attack! Hello?!"

Ben squinted and drew loops around it with his Styler. Even after the capture it just stood there perfectly still. "We done now?"

"That Xatu. It really humiliated me!" the Pincher yelled storming off.

Blue Eyes waited until he was out of earshot before speaking. "He's humiliated himself a lot before, though."

"You know him?" Ben asked.

Blue Eyes nodded. "I guess that was the best he could do, because he's still new."

"That explains a lot. Come on. Let's keep going." Ben lead Blue Eyes through another doorway and into another room. Up ahead he could see a female Pincher with two worried male Pinchers.

"Our leader looks fed up. Maybe it would be better to trade peacefully like we promised?"

"What kind of weak talk is that?" the woman asked. "Just giving up two valuable hostages without getting anything in return. Then our leader really would be disgusted."

"But, we still don't have enough experience…"

"This is our chance to earn our leader's respect. If the three of us work together we can do it!"

"Well you guys already have _me_ disgusted." Ben sighed as he approached with Blue Eyes.

"Ah, leader!" one of them men said.

"We're new, but we'll fight for all we're worth! Watch this! Prepare yourself Ranger!" A Bronzar and a Sableye rushed at Ben.

"Cyndaquil! Sableye!" Ben's fire type shot flames at Bronzar making in panic. Meanwhile the two Sableye clashed claws before the Pincher Sableye headbutted, Ben's and slashed at it with Shadow Claw, knocking it out.

"Mothim!"

The female Picher smirked as Ben sent his last friend Pokemon into battle. "He's defenceless! Send it in now!" A Bibarel charged through and rammed into Ben. He yelped as he was launched into the ceiling and landed Next to Blue Eyes. "Ha, ha! The plan worked!" The woman laughed. "Hang on leader, I'll untie you and we can get out of here!"

Ben groaned as he tried to get Up. Pichu was worryingly at his side as the woman ran to Blue Eyes. "_Summer…Takumi…everyone…I failed you all…"_

Just when the woman was in arm's reach of her leader she was blinded by a burst of light. Once it died down, she looked up just in time to see something rush at her face. At hard kick made her shriek as she was flung all the way back to the other two Pinchers.

"Heh. Aren't you lot charming? It makes me feel fuzzy. I'll enjoy crushin' ya all myself!"

Ben knew that voice. He looked up and saw who was now guarding Blue Eyes. "Fei?!"

FanBeemon stood next to her tamer who smirked at Ben. "You just stay down and take a break. We can more then handle some goons like these."

This time Ben noticed his Styler glowing. Pixels flew out of it and took the form of two more of his friends and their Digimon. Takumi knelled in front of Ben and offered his hand. "Hey, are you alright?"

"T-Takumi! Yuugo! You guys were hiding in my Styler?!"

"We'll explain later." Takumi helped Ben up and turned back to Terriermon.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Digivolve to…"

"FanBeemon Digivolve to…"

"Gargomon!"

"Waspmon!"

The female Pincher groaned as the other two Pinchers helped her up. "Where did they come from?! How'd they do that?! You know what, it doesn't matter! Bibarel! Get them! Rollout!" The Normal-Water Type Pokemon balled up into a sphere and charged towards them.

"Go, Gargomon!"

The rabbit Digimon charged to face it head on. "Dum Dum Uppercut!" It flung its fist upward and sent Bibarel into the ceiling and it bounced onto the ground.

Waspmon then flew towards it. "Turbo Stinger!" she shot energy needles at Bibarel until it was knocked out.

Yuugo stepped forwards next. "Go! Hagurumon! Guilmon!"

"Cog Crusher." The gear-shaped Digimon flung twin gears at Sableye, knocking it into a wall.

"Rock Breaker!" Guilmon rammed his claws at Bronzar, instantly defeating it.

"N…no way…" The Pinchers stepped back.

"Alright ya dorks, listen close." Fei said. "Y'all are gonna run on home and tell yer friends not to try any more of these dumb attempts to cheat out of our deal."

"W-why should we listen to you?!" the female Pincher asked, trying to act tough.

"Because if I see even one more of ya goons before we get to yer boss…" at the snap of Fei's fingers Waspmon was right behind Blue Eyes. "Yer poor leader here is gonna end up with a rather nasty bee sting.?"

As Blue Eyes shuddered the Pinchers backed away. "N-no, don't do that! We won't bother you again! I swear!"

"That's better. Now get lost and tell yer friends to stay out of our way. Capiche?"

"Too bad. Looks like you weren't strong enough." Blue Eyes smiled. "But your spirit came shining through."

"Y-your words are so moving!" One of the men smiled.

The female Pincher saluted. "We are always behind you, dear leader! Sorry we weren't able to help!" The three of them then ran off.

Blue Eyes chuckled. "Young ones are sweet."

"They are a cute bunch of newbies, I'll give em that." Fei smirked.

"They don't hesitate to aid each other." Yuugo added. "For a group of criminals, they are quite admirable."

"Well…never mind that." Ben said. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Arata thought of using the Connect Jump to smuggle ourselves into your Styler." Takumi explained.

"So that's what he needed it for."

"Yup. Unfortunately, it couldn't fit all of us, so we had a little discussion on who should go. Yuugo and Fei being Yuuko's brother and close friend wanted to save her more that anyone. And I thought being the one who's most adapt to the Connect Jump along with my sister would make me good choice. Ami wanted to come, but I could tell she was still worn out from the mansion so I asked Arata and Nokia to look after her so she can rest."

"Okay, but why did you come here? Red Eyes said I had to come alone. Besides Pokemon. If he finds out you guys are with me…"

"He also said he was only bringing two Pinchers." Fei said folding her arms. "I counted eight so far. Besides, did you really think that snake was going to play fair?"

"We knew that appearing prematurely would put Yuuko and Summer in danger should word of it get to Red Eyes." Yuugo said. "That's why we didn't come out of your Styler until there was no other choice. Though thinking about it we probably could have come out sooner. After the Pinchers started attacking you Red Eyes can't justify harming them for us appearing."

"I wish we did." Gargomon groaned. "That was a tight fit!"

"Tell me about it." Takumi said scratching his cheek. "But back to the original topic. Ben, I've said this before, I'll say it again, and I'll say it as many more times as I need to. You don't have to face the Pinchers alone. We're here with you. I know how badly you want to save Summer. But we want to save Yuuko just as bad."

"Takumi…I…" Ben smiled. "Thank you, guys. Really this means a lot to me."

"Good. Now let's go. We got friends to save!"

Ben nodded and they continued on ahead.

* * *

Ami sat at the edge of a cliff swinging her legs back at the village. She really wished she could help her brother save Yuuko. But she respected that he wanted to help just as much.

Palmon sat down next to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just…worried. I hope we can all be together soon."

"After that we need to find a way to get home."

"Oh, yeah…"

Ami heard a laugh as Arata came up behind her. "Forgot all about that did you? That seems like you. I remember you kept forgetting that you and your brother had half-cyber bodies." He took a seat next to her. "But don't worry. Give those guys some credit. They're quirky, but they can get the job done."

Nokia came up from behind them. "Said the super geek of our group."

Ami grinned at Arata. "Yeah. You make it sound like you're the only one who isn't quirky."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" the girls giggled.

"Ah. There you kids are." They saw Matayoshi come up from behind them. "I thought I'd let you know I've been doing a little investigating on Daybreak Ruins."

"I see. Did you find anything?" Ami asked.

"Yes, I did. Something very interesting. It most likely has to do with the fact that Red Eyes wants to exchange hostages there."

Arata stood up and faced him. "Something tells me I'm not going to like this."

"Yes, well, as you may already know…Raikou isn't the only one of these "legendary Pokemon" in Obliva. And it turns out long ago, people used Daybreak Ruins to pray to another one. The guardian of Mitonga Island…"

Ami stood up with her eyes widening. "Entei…"

"You heard of him?"

"When we came to this island on Raikou a woman mentioned a folktale of this Island involving the Heroes and Entei."

"I see. Then it's true. That must be what Red Eyes is after…."

* * *

Takumi tilted a mirror that resembled a Bronzar on a pillar in a large room. Other mirrors surrounded another Xatu-like statue. "Okay…that should work. Hit it Ben!"

One the far side of the room Ben had two Kirlia activate two spheres on two pillars. Both glowed and flashed light forward. They bounced off of a series of mirrors before each light traveled into the side of the Xatu statue. It's eye glowed as a wall in the back of the room came down.

"That did it. Way to go Takumi."

"You really know your way around puzzles, huh?" Yuugo asked.

"Part of my job! I'm a detective after all!" Takumi boasted as he looked at the light up ahead. "I wonder what's up ahead?"

"We can't be far from Red Eyes now." Ben said. "Let's hurry!"

They rushed to the doorway and were greeted by sunlight and fresh air. Then they found themselves outride in some kind of ring up on a cliff. They looked around for Red Eyes. "I don't see anyone." Ben said.

"But we're outside of the ruins now." Takumi replied.

"What? Red Eyes isn't even here!" Blue Eyes grumbled.

Yuugo caught sight of a stone monument. "Hey, what's that?" He and the others walked over to it.

"Hey…this looks like the monument is Rasp Cavern." Fei said.

Blue Eyes gasped. "That has an Involith! I can't believe there is one in a place like this…"

Ben looked at her. "A what?"

"N-nothing! Forget I said that!"

"So, this means something to you?" Takumi asked. "I bet that's why Red Eyes wants to trade here. Well seeing how we're here first I say let's set up a trap."

"Good idea." Ben smiled. "I doubt he knows you guys are here. Let's see. How about Takumi, you hide behind the monument and Yuugo and Fei hide in the cave. You two get ready in case Red Eyes tries to swipe Blue Eyes before we get Summer and Yuuko back. Takumi, if he goes for the monument, you and Gargomon grab him."

"Sounds like a plan!" Gargomon nodded.

"Uh, huh. And what exactly is stopping me from telling him you kids are in hiding?" Blue Eyes asked with a smug grin.

Everyone looked over to her. Then they looked at each other.

* * *

"_Me and my big mouth." _Blue Eyes thought. Which was all she could do now that Fei had wrapped Ben's scarf over her mouth, gagging her. She tied the knot tightly at the back of the leader's head.

"There! You just stay nice and quiet and I won't do anything else to ya."

Ben looked over to Takumi and Gargomon. "You guys ready? If all goes well, we can save our friends and stop the Pinchers here once and for all." The boy and his Digimon nodded. "Alright. Then let's get it do-

"Roooooar!" Suddenly they heard a noise and following up on that they saw something ram into a nearby rock shattering it into pieces. It was a Pokemon with brown fur, white paws, sharp fangs and a red, white, and yellow mask-like pattern on it's face. Blue Eyes screamed in her gag as her eyes widened.

Takumi took a step back. "Yikes! Where did that come from?!"

Ben's jaw was agape. "Th-that's…the legendary Pokemon…Entei!"

"Entei? It's a legendary Pokemon like Raikou?" Takumi asked as he put his goggles on. "Entei…Fire Type legendary Pokemon. It is rumored that every time it roars, a volcano erupts somewhere on the planet."

"What's it doing here?!" Fei asked.

"Is this place it's territory?" Yuugo asked.

"High probability." Haguramon replied. "It is likely Entei views us as trespassers."

"Oh, boy." Takumi muttered. "H-hey look, Entei, we kind of need to be here for a bit. See some creep kidnapped our friends and he wants to exchange them for the weird lady back here." He explained pointed a thumb at Blue Eyes earning an annoyed huff from her through her gag. "Don't ask why we need to do it here, it was his idea. So, we're just gonna be here for…I don't know, maybe two to five minutes? …Well, plus however long it takes for him to get here…But after that I promise we'll get out of your fur. Okay? Sound good?"

"Rooooooar!" As Entei howled flames surrounded it.

"I think that's a no." Gargomon whispered. "And there goes another volcano somewhere!"

"Honestly, what were you expecting?" Fei asked.

"Hey, at least I tried!" Takumi said in a defensive tone.

Pillars of fire surrounded everyone. "Shoot! Fei, take care of Blue Eyes!" Ben yelled, pointing his Styler at Entei. "Capture on!"

Entei shot flames at them. Yuugo, Takumi and Ben dove down, avoiding them as Fei pulled Blue Eyes back. "Alright…a Fire Type. In that case…Go Bibarel!" Ben sent the Pokemon he caught earlier and it shot bubbles at Entei, irritating it. It then growled and charged into the Bibarel, slamming it across the area. It slowly got up and ran away.

"If your plan was to make him even angrier, I'd say you just nailed it." Gargomon said.

"It's not as fast as Raikou…" Waspmon pondered. "But it far surpasses it in brute force!"

"Let's see it surpass this! Thunder Fall!" Gargomon shot energy from his gun hands at the Pokemon, slightly pushing it back.

Ben saw a star-shaped flame form in its mouth. "Look out! Fire Blast incoming!"

"Huh?"

Entei shot a massive blast, shaped like a star at Gargomon he screamed as he was blown back.

"Gargomon!" Takumi hurried to his Digimon's side. "Gargomon, are you okay?!"

"Yeah, real peachy…"

Fei growled. "Waspmon! If we can't overpower it, we'll outmaneuver it!"

"Right!" Waspmon flew circles around the Pokemon. It wasn't long before Entei lost sight of her and allowed Waspon to get behind it. "Turbo Stinger!" she shot rapid fire needles at Entei. The first few hit the target. Then Entei growled and summoned a pillar of flame in front of it, blocking the attacks.

"None of us can beat him one-on-one!" Ben said.

"Then we attack all at once at all sides!" Yuugo replied. "Everyone, surround Entei!"

As Waspmon kept firing, Gargomon, Ben's last friend Pokemon Mothim, and Hagurumon surrounded their foe. "Let's go everybody!" Ben said. "Psybeam!"

"Thunder Fall!"

"Cog Crusher."

The Pokemon and the two Digimon followed up shooting at Entei from all sides. It yelped as it was bombarded and the flame pillar blocking Waspmon's attacks dropped allowing her to get hits in as well. "Yes!" Takumi fist pumped. "Keep it up!"

Entei then growled as it became enraged. Yuugo pointed at it. "Go, Guilmon!"

"Right!" the last Digimon in the party ran towards it and jumped with a hand raised. "Rock Breaker!"

Entei roared and flames erupted around it. Waspmon, Gargomon, Mothim, Hagurumon and Guilmon were sent flying. "AAAAGH!" As Waspmon bounced on the ground it converted back to FanBeemon. Mothim ran away.

"Darn it…It's no good. He's too strong!" Takumi growled.

The fires continued to spread around everyone. "Ah…ugh…" Yuugo dropped to his knees.

"Yuugo!" Takumi ran over to him. "Are you okay?! Say something!"

"I'm…I'm fine…but this heat…the flames are making it hard to breath…" It took a cough from Takumi to realise that he was having a hard time breathing too. If this keeps up… Yuugo started to feel dizzy. _"I can't even stand…how are Takumi, Fei and Ben taking this? How pathetic…once again I can only watch as others fight…"_

"Mmmph! Ngh!" Blue Eyes was shaking her head back and forth until she managed to shake the gag off. The scarf fell around her neck. "Gah! There! You kids are no match for him! Untie me so I can take it on with my Control Gauntlet!"

"Oh, no!" Ben said. "Not happening! I'm not letting you abuse Entei with that thing like you did all those other Pokemon!"

"Would you rather we all-MPH!"

"Didn't I tell you to keep quiet?" Fei asked tying the scarf back over Blue Eye's mouth, making sure it was on tighter. "There. Unlike you Pinchers we have honor. We won't shame ourselves by stooping to your cowardly tricks!"

"_That's right." _Yuugo opened his eyes looked up. He saw Yuugo. Yuugo of Zaxon looking down at him._ "Do you mean to bring shame to the Zaxon name?"_

Yuugo looked at Hagurumon, who was still on the ground. He closed his eyes and grunted as he stood up. "That's right…you and I…have become one…"

The other Yuugo smiled as he walked into him and disappeared.

"I…I am Yuugo! Yuugo Kamishiro of Zaxon!" Suddenly his Digivice shined a bright shade of grey in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the screen in awe.

Takumi looked at it. "That light…"

Yuugo put on a determined expression. "Hagurumon! Stand tall!" He then pointed at his opponent. "Entei! I'll show you the power and honor of Zaxon!" He swiped the Digivice in front of him and a blue screen appeared.

DIGIVOLUTION

He pressed his hand against it and it shifted from blue to grey. Light flew over to the down Hagurumon. As a grey shell started to form around him his eyes snapped open. "Hagurumon…Digivolve to…"

Blue Eyes watched in awe. _"This is what happened to that other girl's creature…is this evolution?!"_

As the shell burst Hugurumon was now a tall, bulk looking bronze machine with a valve on his front. "…Guardromon." Entei stopped its attack in amazement of the sudden evolution. "I am Guadromon. Partner of Yuugo Kamishiro. We are the lead force of Team Zaxon."

"And in the name of Zaxon…We will defeat anything that stands in our way!" Yuugo declared. "I won't stand back, and watch others suffer anymore!"

A smile rose on Takumi's face. "Yuugo…"

Ben scanned Yuugo's Digimon. "Guardromon. Champion Level Virus Type. A Digimon that protects the computer network's defensive wall."

Entei roared as he charged towards Guardromon. "Guard Charge." Yuugo's Digimon glowed red temporarily before it caught the charging Entei with its hands. He slid backwards slightly before he stopped the legendary in its tracks.

"He's blocking that thing with his bare hands?!" Gargomon asked sitting up.

Guardromon then spun in circles, still holding onto Entei before throwing him a good distance. He then held his hands out at it. "Heaven's Thunder." He shot a lightning blast from his hands at Entei stunning it. The Pokemon recovered and shot another Fire Blast at Guardromon, knocking him back.

"It's no use…" Ben growled we need more power. "If only I didn't run out of friend Pokemon." Suddenly an image flashed in his mind. The shape of two Rock Type Pokemon formed in his head. And with them a familiar Emblem. _"Graveler. With that Guardian Sign I obtained earlier maybe…"_ Ben looked at his Styler. He jumped into the air and shot it to the ground and drew the Guardian Sign he saw after his Quest to save those Pokemon. The Pokmeon he needed right now. "Go, Guardian Sign! Graveler, come forth!"

Everyone was blinded by a flash of light. Ben landed behind two Graveler. Blue Eyes was shocked again. _"What the-Where did those come from?! How'd he do that?! Red Eyes was right…these kids…aren't ordinary."_

Ben landed behind the Pokemon. "Here we go. Magnitude!" Both Pokemon roared as the ground shook violently. Entei lost its footing. "Now Rock Throw!" The Graveler threw bolder at Entei damaging it further.

Yuugo's eyes were filled with more determination then before. "This is where it ends! Guardromon!"

"D-Grenade." Two grey missiles with faces rose up from hatchets on Guardromon's arms and flew at Entei exploding upon contact. The legendary groaned as it dropped.

"Did that do it?" Ben asked as he started drawing loops around Entei with his Styler.

"Yeah…I think so." Yuugo replied. But Entei slowly rose to its feet. An orange light formed around it. "What? It can still fight? Guardromon! One more time!"

"Wait!" Ben held his arm out as he saw something over Entei. A figure. "I see it again…"

"See what again?" Takumi asked before his confused glance turned into a shocked expression. "Wait…you mean like what happened with Raikou? You can see a Guardian Sign?"

Ben continued staring at the figure. Not taking his eyes off it he drew it in his Styler. He then slowly walked over to Entei and stroked it's main. The legendary calmly stood still as Pichu played a tune for it. Shortly after Entei left.

"Whew!" Gargomon let out a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over."

"Yeah." Ben turned to Yuugo. "Thanks. If it weren't for you this would have ended badly."

"Yeah, you and Guardromon were awesome!" Takumi laughed. "Too bad, the others weren't here to see that!"

"Heh, heh…" Yuugo was a tad flustered from the sudden praise. "Thanks. I surprised myself honestly."

"You surprised us all." Fei smiled. "That was quite the show."

"Here, here! I'm impressed!" Everyone was shocked to hear a familiar voice. Red Eyes flew in with two Pinchers on Z.Z. Flyers.

"What the-How long have you been here ya goon?!" FanBeemon asked.

Ben and Takumi immediately noticed two girls tied up and blindfolded, standing on the other Pincher's Z.Z. Flyers.

"Summer!"

"Yuuko!"

Yuuko had a white cloth gagging her. Ben's partner was gagged with her own scarf, much to her embarrassment. The ladder was shaking her head back and forth until she finally got it to loosen enough for it to fall to her neck. "Ben!"

"Yeah, these things make for lousy gags." Fei said before sighing. "Well, too late for the plan. Guess we won't need this." She untied the scarf around Blue Eye's mouth and tossed to back to Ben.

"Summer! Summer, are you hurt?!" Ben asked.

"I'm fine! But they-MPH!"

"Keep quiet like a good girl!" the Pincher behind her glared as he tied the scarf back in place around Summer's mouth. She whimpered in distress as she pulled against the rope around her wrists behind her back and her upper legs and ankles.

The sight made Ben's blood boil. "Keep your hands off her!"

"I have half a mind to punish these two for you breaking our deal." Red Eyes said. "I'm pretty sure I told you to come alone. Except for Pokemon."

"And I'm pretty sure you said you were only bringing two Pinchers!" Takumi retorted.

"Do you see more then two here kid?"

"Don't play dumb! Ya sent eight of yer goons to attack Ben and take Blue Eyes back by force!" Fei glared.

"Wow, trying to make up excuses now?" Red Eyes grinned.

"It's true Red Eyes." Everyone turned to Blue Eyes as she spoke. "I recognized them. They were all new recruits. They wanted to make a stand and save me, so you wouldn't have to give up your hostages."

Red Eyes' smug grin shifted to a surprised stare. Then an annoyed look as he brought his hand over his face. "Oh, for crying out…Those bumbling idiots, I told them to stay back! If they did stop the Ranger, it would have messed up the plan! And did they seriously not even consider that attacking him while he had you with him was putting you in danger?!"

"Red Eyes…"

The red leader sighed in exasperation as he and his Pinchers landed and stepped off the Z.Z. Flyers along with their prisoners. "I'm gonna have a serious word with those morons later. Alright, sorry about them. Let's just call it even and let bygones be bygones and all that."

"Messed up the plan?" Takumi asked in surprise before he glared. "Now I get it. That's why you wanted to do the exchange here!"

Red Eyes snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "Bingo! You got Entei to leave, and that works out very well for us. I give you my thanks. And I got a good look at these "Digimon" of yours. Not only can they talk but they got a lot of tricks…Such as that "Digivolve" thing. I'd best keep this in mind." Red Eyes turned to his Pinchers "Hey! One of you, go get that Emblem."

"Roger!" As one of the Pinchers walked to the monument, Red Eyes and the other one untied Summer and Yuuko's ankles and held them back by an arm.

"This was all a ploy to get us to do their dirty work." Yuugo growled.

"Well now, why don't we do the hostage exchange we've all been waiting for? Everyone started to get tense. Even Red Eyes looked serious now as he spoke. "On my signal, we will release both hostages at the same time. No funny business."

"Right back at you." Ben glared. Gargomon and Guardromon kept their arm weapons trailed at Red Eyes, daring him to try something.

"3…2…1…Go!"

Fei let go of Blue Eyes as Red Eyes and his Pincher released Summer and Yuuko. As the Pincher leader slowly walked to Red Eyes, Summer and Yuuko slowly made their way to Ben and the others. Once they were in reach, Ben and Yuugo gently pulled them in and took off their blindfolds and gags. "Yuuko! Are you okay?!" Yuugo asked.

"B-brother! Takumi! Fei! I…I'm so glad you're here…"

"Summer…" Ben was relieved to see his partner's eyes.

Summer was equally relieved to see Ben. "Ben…I…"

"Summer!" Ben immediately pulled her into a hug. He looked ready to cry. "I finally found you…You're okay…"

Summer was surprised. As her eyes closed, tears leaked out of them as she buried her face in his shoulder. Their friends smiled as they saw their heart-warming reunion.

Blue Eyes looked down as Red Eyes started untying her. "Red Eyes…I caused a lot of trouble, didn't I? I'm sorry."

Red Eyes looked relieved himself as he smiled and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal." He then turned to Ben and his friends. "Well now…The swap went as planned." Everyone squinted at him all at once. Even those on his side. "Heh, heh…Well, okay, so there were some slight complications here and there, but what can you do?"

The Pincher at the monument pulled out a piece of the slate. "Our leader! We have the Emblem!"

Red Eyes gave him a thumbs up. "Great! Now our plan is complete! Time to leave." He got on his Z.Z. Flyer with Blue Eyes holding onto him. The other Pinchers mounted their own. "So long, Rangers! We'll likely meet again somewhere. If you can stay in one piece that long…"

"Count on it!" Takumi glared. "This isn't over! And I'll have you know, I'm a Cyber Sleuth! Remember that, because I won't give up until you're stopped!"

"Cyber Sleuth" you say? Heh, heh. Sure. I'll remember that." Red Eyes then pointed his Control Gauntlet at them. Four Electrodes jumped out and landed in front of Ben.

Ben grabbed Summer and dove to the ground. "Everyone, get down!" Yuugo grabbed Yuuko and dove to the ground as well, followed by the Digimon, Pichu, Takumi and Fei. Red Eye's Pokemon used Explosion, and created a smoke screen. After the loud bang they could hear Red Eyes withdrawing his Pokemon before flying off.

"*Cough* *Cough* That Red Eyes is terrible!" Summer gasped as Ben helped her up once the smoke cleared.

"Is everyone alright?" Gargomon asked.

"Yeah…" Ben replied as he and Takumi started untying Summer. Fei, and Yuugo untied Yuuko. Once the girls were free, they rubbed their sore wrists and stretched out, relishing the fact that they could finally move their limbs freely.

Summer looked up and gasped. "Ben…That explosion blocked the exit."

Everyone looked at the way they came. It was blocked off by fallen boulders. "Oh, come on!" Ben groaned. "I can't catch a break!"

"Now what do we do?" Gargomon asked.

"D-Did that Pokemon just talk?!" Summer gasped.

Yuuko gasped. "Takumi! Your Digimon is here?!"

"Yup. Same, with Ami,'s Nokia's, Arata's and Fei's."

"Yours too." Yuugo said.

Guilmon walked up to Yuuko. "Yuuko…It's good to see you again."

"Huh? Who are you?"

"I guess you can't recognize me in this form. But I fought by your side until the very end."

Yuuko's eyes widened. "Gaiomon?!"

"That's right. I-

"Move!" Ben shoved everyone to the ground and jumped back as an ostrich slammed its talons into the ground. It had a yellow scarf and purple headband on.

Takumi looked up. "A Digimon?!"

* * *

**Rejoice everyone! Not only is Yuuko safe and sound but Ben and Summer are back together again! I mean sure, the former hostage still lost her Partner Pokemon and her Styler's broken not to mention our heroes are stuck at the end of the ruins with a giant, angry digital ninja ostrich, (never thought I'd ever write that in a sentence) but Ben and Summer are back together again! These two were honestly my favorite Pokemon protagonists growing up, so I'm really looking forward to having them interact seeing how I'm giving Ben a voice in this story. In fact, maybe someday I'll make another story with these two.**


	16. Chapter 16: A Blazing Road

**Sorry to end last part on a cliff-hanger, but now let us pick up where we left off with the giant, angry digital ninja ostrich. (I still can't beliave I wrote that into a sentence)**

**By deceiving Ben and his friends into taming Entei in Daybreak Ruins, Red Eyes obtains a fragment of the monument it guarded. After retrieving Blue Eyes in exchange for his prisoners Summer and Yuuko, the Pokemon Pinchers fled. But just when it seemed like they were in the clear, Ben and his friends were attacked by another wild Digimon.**

* * *

The wild Digimon leered over at the kids. "W-what's going on?!" Summer asked. "I've never seen a Pokemon like that!"

"That's a Digimon!" Ami replied.

"Digimon?"

"I don't think it's happy to see us." Ben said. _"Did it get agitated from Entei? Or was it Red Eyes causing that explosion?"_

Takumi looked at his Digivice. "Peckmon. Champion Level Data Type Digimon that can run even faster then it can fly."

"Agility Charge!" Peckmon glowed red before charging at Guardromon.

"Heaven's Thunder." Guardromon shot lightning at it, but it jumped over the attack and slammed his foot into him, pinning him to the ground.

Gargomon ran at it. "Dum Dum Uppercut!" Peckmon jumped back, avoiding the attack then rammed his head into Gargomon, knocking him down.

Ben scowled. "This is bad…Our team is still worn out from the fight earlier!"

Peckmon then faced Yuuko and jumped into the air, crossing its wings. "No!" Yuugo immediately ran in front of her and wrapped his arms around her with his back against the Digimon.

"B-brother!"

"Kuni Wing!" As Peckmon spread it's wings a hail of blades came out and towards the siblings.

Takumi ran towards them. "Look out!"

Yuugo squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact and praying he could successfully shield his sister. But when he heard it, he didn't feel anything. He then heard something drop to the ground near him. Looking behind hid he saw his Digimon. Guardromon had shielded him and his sister before collapsing and degenerating back to Hagurumon.

"H-Hagurumon?!" Yuugo ran over to his defeated Digimon. "Why did you do that?!"

"It is my duty…to protect Yuugo…That is my role…"

"Hagurumon…"

Peckmon glared as it reared its head as if it were ready to charge again. "No!" Yuuko ran in front of her brother this time.

"Yuuko?! What are you-

"Not again…I can't lose you again!"

Yuugo was saddened as he recalled his new memories as leader of Zaxon. How much Yuuko yearned to be with him again. Suddenly Guilmon stood next to Yuuko. "Awaiting orders."

"Huh?"

Yuugo stood up, still holding Hagururmon. "Guilmon?"

"I said I would stand by Yuuko as soon as we rescued her. Now it is time for me to fulfil my duties. Yuuko, my strength is yours."

Yuuko was still shocked but a smile soon came to her face. "You really are my Digimon…thank you." She then glared at Peckmon. "I won't allow anything to take my brother from me ever again! I was helpless to save him before…but this time I'm stronger!" A light came from her pocket. A bright white one. She took out her Digivice out of curiosity. "What? What's happening to my Digivice?"

"Digivice?" Summer asked.

"That's the same thing that happened to the rest of us!" Takumi said. "Yuuko, your determination is enabling your Digimon to Digivolve!"

Yuuko looked at Guilmon who nodded. She returned the gesture and held the device forward. A blue screen appeared.

DIGIVOLUTION

She placed her hand on it and it shifted from blue to white as it shone light that formed a shell around Guilmon. "Guilmon Digivolve to…" The shell enlarged and burst, and out came a Digimon looking very much like Greymon. But this one was taller and sleeker and had red bandages on his hands. "GeoGreymon!"

Summer screeched as the Digimon let out a roar. "Wh-what's going on?!"

Ben scanned the Digimon with his Styler. "GeoGreymon! Another Champion Level Vaccine! Its body and the carapace on its head are developed like a full-length lethal weapon!"

Peckmon charged and jumped at GeoGreymon. "Wind Claw!" It charged its foot at its opponent.

But GeoGreymon caught it by the foot with one hand. "Cross-Counter!" He whirled around and slammed his tail into Peckmon sending it airborne. "Walkenapalm!" He then brought his fist into Peckmon sending it further into the air. But Peckmon recovered and flipped into the air with it wings crossed.

Yuuko's serious expression didn't change. "End this."

"Roger." GeoGreymon's mouth glowed.

"Kuni Wing!"

"Mega Burst!" As Peckmon sent blades out of its wings, GeoGreymon shot a massive golden ray from his mouth. The attack instantly disintegrated the blades and hit Peckmon. It turned blue before shattering into shards. Then said shards flew into Yuuko's Digivice.

"I don't…what just happened?"

Summer turned to Ben. "What's going on here?"

Ben scratched the back of his head. "There's…a lot to explain. So much has happened since I last saw you."

Summer looked down. "Yeah…When we were flying above Oblivia…You protected me from Red Eyes' Plasma Cannon. Thank you…"

Yuuko looked at them. "So, you're Ben Natsuya? Summer told me all about you. She was really worried. You had her scared."

Summer's face reddened. "I-I was not scared! I mean I was worried, but…Well Ben's my partner and…all I could do is wait and hope!"

Ben put a hand on Summer's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Summer looked back at him in surprise. "What?"

"Sorry for worrying you."

Summer was at a lose for words. "…Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you apologizing to me? I'm the one who got captured…I'm the one who caused you so much trouble…"

"Summer…"

"When Red Eyes fired at me I just…froze…and because of that you were flung into the ocean…And while you were running around Oblivia helping people I did…nothing…I shamed myself as a Ranger. I'm a failure…" Summer started to tear up again.

"What?! Summer, that's not true!" Ben took her by the shoulders, surprising her.

"Ben?"

The boy wrapped his arms around Summer again. "Do you have any idea how much you mean to the Rangers? And to me? You befriended a Partner Pokemon that was fully evolved before you even became a Ranger. You have such a unique talent for attracting Pokemon to you without even needing to perform a capture. Remember the day you told me you wanted to be a Pokemon Ranger? At the time I never thought about what I wanted to do with my life. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be who I am now."

Summer slowly put her arms around him and sniffled. "Ben…"

"I couldn't ask for a better partner, you know that? The reason why I protected you is because I knew I am nothing without you. The only thing that kept me going for this long was the thought of seeing you again." Suddenly they heard a click sound and immediately after saw Takumi hastily putting his Digivice away. "What was that?" Ben asked.

"Something you'll be grateful for someday." The Sleuth smiled.

"What?"

"No need to fuss about it now Romeo and Juliet."

"Who and who?" Ben and Summer asked in sync while giving Takumi a weird look.

"_Oh. Right. That story probably doesn't exist in this world."_

"Uh…anyway…" Ben awkwardly let Summer go and smiled. "Don't sell yourself so short Summer. You're far more valuable than you think."

Summer wiped her tears away and smiled. "Thanks…Sorry to be so much trouble…I will definitely repay you for this!"

"I won't doubt that."

"When we heard the Pinchers talking about you being okay after falling into the ocean, I was so relieved. That's why I knew you would come save us. Ben…Thank you so much!"

Yuuko turned to Yuugo, Takumi and Fei. "I owe all of you an apology as well…and…thank you."

"Shucks, Yuuko, don't worry about it." Fei said. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Speaking of friends, good news! We found all of the others!" Takumi smiled.

"Are they alright?" Yuuko asked.

"Yup."

"Thank goodness."

"They didn't hurt either of you, did they?" Ben asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…just embarrassed." Summer muttered.

"I'm fine as well." Yuuko replied. "Though I am a bit hungry."

"Still, I'll never forgive them for this! They still have my Partner Pokemon, Staraptor!"

"Yeah…that's not all they have." Ben turned to Pichu. "Right?"

"Picchu!" the Pokemon nodded.

Summer smiled at the Pokemon. "Wow, what a cutie! Why does this Pichu have a ukulele? Could you tell me what's happened?"

"Right…well…where do I start?" Ben sighed, scratching his head. "Well, after I fell out of the sky I got washed up on a beach at Docle Island. I meet Takumi, here along with his sister Ami and their Digimon."

"Digimon?" Summer glanced at GeoGreymon. "Like that guy?"

"Yeah. They told me that they come from another world."

"Another…world? What do you mean?"

Takumi faced Yuuko. "You didn't tell her?"

Summer glanced at Yuuko as she looked down. "Tell me what?"

"I'm…not from this world Summer. Neither are my friends. You see…my father's company, Kamishiro Enterprise was conducting an experiment. My friends and I were invited to observe. We discovered the possibility of other worlds. But there was an accident and…we all ended up here as a result."

"O…kay…?"

"Please forgive me for not saying anything sooner. I honestly thought you wouldn't believe me."

"Well…this is still a bit confusing…but I guess it makes sense to think you're from another world. After all you do have this talking creature with you. Anyway…It's nice to actually talk to you face to face." Summer replied with a smile. "We were blindfolded the whole time, so I had no idea what you looked like. Something about you…gives me the idea you're a trustworthy person."

Yuuko smiled herself. "It does feel like we're meeting for the first time again. Although I must say…"

"What's up?"

"When you told me about your occupation as a Pokemon Ranger and what you do for your job I…expected you to be older than me at least."

"Hey, need I remind you Yuuko, Ami and I are doing detective work and we're in high school!" Takumi said as Gargomon became Terriermon again and jumped onto his partner's shoulder. "I think we prove that age doesn't mean a darn thing in terms of qualification."

"That is true I suppose…So what happened after you met Summer's partner?"

Takumi and Ben took time to tell Summer and Yuuko everything that happened. Meeting Pichu and Booker, Rasp Cavern, Nema and her parents, Raikou and the Wireless Tower, meeting more of Takumi's friends, and when they got to the mansion and capturing Blue Eyes…

Yuuko gasped. "The "Yuugo" avatar I made to lead Zaxon with?! How did it get here?!"

"I have no idea." Yuugo replied. "But I decided to install him into my mental data."

"What?!"

"Yuuko…When I did…everything you did as him…everything you were forced to do…what you felt during it…they became my memories."

"Brother I…I don't know what to say…"

"Well I know two things I want to say…One is…that I'm so sorry for making you suffer so much."

"Yuugo…"

"And as for the other…" Yuugo smiled and wrapped his arms around Yuuko. "I am so proud of how strong you've become. How strong you were to endure all of it. You're a better sister then I deserve."

Yuuko was caught off guard. She slowly teared up. "Brother…I…I…" She embraced him tightly.

"Yuuko…starting now I'm going to put everything into being the brother you fought so hard for. I swear it."

"Yuugo…"

Everyone smiled before Ben spoke up. "After that Red Eyes showed up and made his offer of you two for Blue Eyes. He told me to come alone but Takumi, Fei and Yuugo used the Connect Jump we mentioned to smuggle themselves in my Styler. It was apparently cramped, so the others couldn't come. And well, here we are now."

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Summer asked. She glanced at Ben's partner. "I hope you find your friends soon, Pichu!"

"Pichu!"

"Don't you worry." Fei said punching her palm. "We're getting back at them for all of this."

Yuuko nodded. "And thanks to Summer we have a means to do so."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Takumi asked.

"We weren't just sitting there waiting to be rescued." Summer smiled. "We were blindfolded, so we don't know where it was, and I couldn't have done it myself with how I was tied up but Yuuko helped me attach a homing device to their hideout. I can pick up the beacon on my Styler."

Everyone's eyes widened. "Really?!" Ben asked. "That's awesome! If we do that, we can track them down! Then we can find Pichu's friends and your Staraptor!"

"There's just one little problem." Yuuko said.

"What?"

Summer sighed and held out her arm. Everyone looked at the smashed gadget on her wrist. "They broke my Styler. We have to fix it."

Yuuko looked back at the others. "Do any of you know where we can get the tools or help needed to repair it?"

"Sounds like a job for Nema." Terriermon said.

"Nema? The Area Ranger's daughter?" Summer asked.

"Yup." Ben smiled. "Let's go back to the others. I know the rest of Yuuko's friends are anxious to see her as well."

"Uh, guys?" Yuugo asked. "In case you forgot the exit is still blocked off."

Everyone looked back at the caved in exit to the ruins. "Of course. I swear I can't catch a break." Ben sighed.

"What should we do?" Summer asked. "Are there any other exits?"

"Uh…"

Everyone looked around. Takumi then glanced over at some large boulders to the left of the monument. "Hey…I think there's a path behind those boulders."

"Maybe our Digimon can break them." Yuuko said. "Though it might take time."

"Wait a minute…" Takumi turned to Ben. "I think Entei smashed a boulder that size when he appeared. You got a Sign for him just now, didn't you?"

"What's a Sign?" Summer asked.

Terriermon smirked at her. "Well there are plenty. You've got your stop signs, your wet floor signs, your-

Takumi lightly batted his Digimon's head and laughed. "You know what she means smarty pants."

"It's something I picked up from Nema and Arata's tinkering with the Styler." Ben explained. "Sometimes after I capture a Pokemon a figure of light suddenly appears. For some reason, only I can see it. But it allows me to summon those Pokemon. And I just saw one after we fought Entei so…"

"Entei?! You can call the legendary Pokemon Entei?"

"He can summon Raikou as well." Fei said. "Pretty handy trick."

Summer walked over to the boulders blocking a path. "You're right! Entei should be able to smash these rocks!"

"You're thinking about that song, aren't you?" Yuuko asked.

GeoGreymon glanced at his partner. "What song?"

"We heard a board Pincher sing it. It was about something called Entei. Summer told me about it being a legendary Pokemon. Though thanks to him it's stuck in my head…"

"So, what's the song?" Terriermon asked.

"Tell them Summer."

"Wh-I can't sing! You do it!"

"W-what? I can't! I just…"

Everyone glanced at the flustered girls. Ben finally spoke up. "Well, I'm curious but I guess it doesn't matter-

"A giant boulder blocks the way. If you can pass, go ahead, I say. The massive rock says, full of sass. "No one can move my hefty mass!" The massive boulder is just slow! For Great Entei, it's one blow. Even a huge stone, just one blow." All eyes were on Summer, who's face flared red as she sang the song. "Er…yeah."

"You have a good singing voice Summer." Ben smiled, making her blush even deeper.

"Better than that guards." Yuuko added. "Although that's not saying much."

"Well, anyway let's give some sassy boulders a smashing." Takumi grinned. "Ben?"

"You got it!" the Ranger jumped high into the air and drew a sign on the ground. "Go, Guardian Sign! Entei, come forth!" It set on fire and in a burst of flame Entei reappeared as Ben landed on its back.

Summer was in disbelief. "Wow…I can't believe it…"

Ben extended a hand to her. "Ready to get out of here?"

As soon as Summer took his hand, Ben pulled her onto Entei. She nervously wrapped her arms around Ben.

GeoGreymon lowered his head in front of the others. "Climb on. I can carry the rest of you." Yuuko, Yuugo, Fei and Takumi mounted Geogreymon, holding onto their Rookie Digimon as he straightened up.

"Okay! Summer! Pichu! Hang on tight!" With Ben's words Entei charged face first through the massive rock, shattering it to pieces without even flinching. GeoGreymon hurried after them.

* * *

Back at Tilt Village, Date sighed in relief. "Jeez, glad that's finally been dealt with."

"I'll say." Ami nodded. "Now everyone can cross between islands."

"Hey, guys!" Just then Ben came over to them with Summer on Entei. The pair climbed off and the Legendary roared before leaving. "Thanks, Entei!" GeoGreyom caught up and came to a stop before letting everyone off and reverting back to Guilmon.

"Summer! You're okay! I'm so glad!" Murph smiled.

"Murph?! Why are you here in Oblivia?"

"Prof. Hastings gave me an errand to take care of. I came in The Union."

"The Union? Isn't that The Union that was retired years ago? I didn't know you knew how to sail a ship…"

"Prof. Hastings probably wants to toughen me up and make me into a man of the sea. Still, The Union sure is an impressive ship. Even with me at the helm, it managed to get to Oblivia."

Nokia cut in at the sight of her friend. "Yuuko! You're okay!"

"Nokia! Arata! Ami! I'm so glad to see you're all safe!"

"Heh. That should be our line." Arata grinned. "By the way, Ben, you called that Pokemon Entei?"

"Yup. There was another monument at the ruins."

"Tch. Matayoshi called it right. That's why Red Eyes wanted to exchange there."

"I'm sorry." The detective sighed. "If only I figured it out sooner, and warned you."

"It all worked out in the end sir." Ben said. "Besides, with communications still down there was nothing you could do."

"Well, at least we're finally back together!" Nokia smiled. "Group hug! Fei, you get over here too!"

Fei didn't know how to react when Nokia grabbed her arm. "What? Hey! What're ya-

Matayoshi laughed as Nokia started smooshing Fei, Arata, Takumi, Ami, Yuuko and Yuugo together. Ben smiled and turned to his partner. "Summer, these are my new friends I mentioned. Takumi's sister Ami, Arata, Nokia, Date and Matayoshi."

"Nice to meet you Summer." Ami muttered while being smoshed against her friends and brother.

"Likewise." Summer giggled.

Yuuko winced at the pressure all around her when she noticed someone was not present. "Wait...Where's Kyoko?"

"Back at Rand's place." Takumi replied. "So, uh, Nokia? Any chance you can let us all breathe anytime soon?"

"Fiiiiiiine." the energetic girl replied before they all finally broke apart and could breath properly. All of them took a deep breath but they were all either smiling or laughing after that.

"It's good to have everyone back together." Ami giggled.

"Yeah." Takumi smiled. "It sure is."

"Oh, and speaking of Rand's place, more good news!" Date said. "We gathered a bunch of people and helped Booker fix the bridge! Now we can walk back to Rand's place on Renbow Island without riding on that wild tiger thing!"

"Really?" Terriermon asked. "Wow, given the mess Red Eyes made of it that was pretty fast."

"So Murph, the man of the sea, will meet you there!" Everyone watched Murph strut proudly on ahead.

"Heh, heh. Murph never changes." Summer giggled.

"We're moving on ahead, as well." Matayoshi smiled. "Don't take too long now." With that he and Date left towards the bridge.

"We should get going too." Ben said. "Rand and Kyoko will want to hear about what happened."


	17. Chapter 17: How One Story Ended

**After rescuing Summer and Yuuko, Ben, Takumi and co learn that the girls planted a homing device in the Pincher's hidout they were held in. To locate where the Pinchers are hidding, the team returns to Rands house to have Summer's Styler repaired. **

* * *

Ben, Summer, Takumi, Ami, Arata, Yuuko, Yuugo, Nokia and Fei, were the last to enter Rand's house.

"Hey, you guys! You're too slow! Rand can hardly wait anymore."

"Really Murph?" Ben asked. "Sounds like you're the one who can't wait."

Everyone gathered around the table. "Welcome back, everyone." Rand smiled warmly, before glancing at the new girls to the group. "This must be Summer and Yuuko, then? Murph has filled me in on the details. You've both been through a lot. I'm very glad you're okay."

"Nice to meet you!" Summer smiled. "I'm Summer. I was caught up and am slightly late."

"I am Yuuko Kamishiro. Takumi filled me in on what's been happening here."

"I'm Rand. Nice to meet you. This is my wife, Leanne and my daughter, Nema. And that over there is Kyoko. Takumi and Ami's supervisor."

"Pleasure to meet you Summer." The detective said. "And Yuuko, I'm glad to have everyone back safe and sound."

"You've had a very hard time. I'm so glad you're safe." Leanne smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Summer! Yuuko! You can leave your Styler maintenance to me!" Nema sang. "I've got my new assistants with me after all!" She pointed to her computer. Tokomon and Calumon were in the screen.

"Ummm…Nema right?" Summer asked. She was honestly younger than she expected, given how Terriermon thought she could fix her Styler. "You might be able to fix my Styler?" she asked, bringing out her smashed gadget.

"Just leave it to the two of us." Arata said. "We'll be done in no time."

"Wow, you two are amazing!"

"Well, if they could, I would love to have Nema and Arata fix the broken washing machine at my house." Murph said.

"Nema, Arata, forget about the washing machine, but please fix my Styler." Summer said.

"If you can, we can locate the Pokemon Pincher's hideout." Yuuko added.

Matayoshi raised an eyebrow. "Their hideout?"

"What do you mean?" Rand asked.

"Yuuko, and I were blindfolded, so we couldn't tell where we were, but…We secretly attached a homing device." Summer replied.

Aside from those Summer explained this to at the ruins, the gangs faces lite up. "Great!" Rand smirked.

"So, if we can get the Styler fixed, we can pick up the tracker and find out where you two were held." Arata grinned. "This time we can bring the fight to them!"

"Excellent." Kyoko said. "We might be able to close this case sooner than we thought."

"Way to go you two!" Nokia cheered. "You girls know your stuff!"

"Is there anything you learned while you were there?" Matayoshi asked. "You say you were blindfolded, but they didn't cover your ears, did they? Did you hear anything?"

Summer and Yuuko thought for a moment. "A few voices…" Summer said. "It sounded like we were in some kind of tightly closed space."

"What were they talking about?" Rand asked.

"I heard something." Yuuko said. "Something about…something called a Moltres."

Ben, Summer, Rand, Murph, Leanne and Nema turned to her with wide eyes. "Moltres? Did you say Moltres?!" Ben asked.

"What's a Moltres?" Date asked.

"A legendary Pokemon…" Leanne said. "Part of a trio commonly referred to as the legendary birds…"

"Is that what the Pinchers are after?" Yuugo asked.

"It must be." Yuuko said. "They said preparations to capture Moltres were underway."

"The Pinchers are trying to pinch the legendary Pokemon Moltres?!" Rand gaped.

"For what?" Leanne asked.

"They didn't bother try to catch Raikou or Entei but they're going for a different legendary Pokemon?" Takumi asked. "This is getting stranger and stranger."

"Anyway, if we can figure out the location of their hideout, we can stop their plans!" Summer said. "And we can also rescue my Partner Pokemon…"

"And Pichu's friends." Ben added.

"Say, Kyoko, Leanne. Do you think that book we brought back might have anything on Moltres?" Ami asked. "Maybe we can find a clue about their plan."

"Maybe." Leanne said. "We managed to decode a little bit of it."

"Really?" Murph asked. "You managed to read that difficult book? You really should have become archeologists."

"…According to the research I've already done in the field of archeology…mysterious Emblems called Involiths are left behind on Monuments."

"Involith?" Fei asked. "Blue Eyes mentioned that word when we were at the Monument."

"The Pinchers took a piece of it just like they did at Rasp Cavern." Terriermon added. "What do they do?"

"According to the book they're keys of some sort." Kyoko explained. "For opening the "Ancient Gate."

"Involith…Ancient Gate…" Takumi folded his arms. "The Pinchers must be after something huge."

"So, where do we find this gate?" Giulmon asked.

"So far we found nothing mentioning its location." Kyoko replied.

"So, the Pinchers are trying to open this Ancient Gate?" Summer asked. "Why?"

"I've got a better question." Arata said. "What does it have to do with pinching Moltres? In fact, what do the Involiths have to do with Moltres?"

"All are good questions." Leanne said. "I've been thinking about that."

"What's on the other side of the gate?" Palmon asked. "What will happen if they open it?"

"I think we all have a vague feeling that it probably won't be anything good." Rand said.

"All the more reason why we should hurry and stop these clowns." Date said. "We're wasting time pondering all this at once."

"Good point." Fei nodded. "For once."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"For starters, let's get that Styler fixed up!" Nema said taking the damaged Styler from the table. "Oh, I love a challenge!"

Arata nodded. "Oh, by the way Yuuko, Yuugo, can I see your Digivices?"

"What for?" Yuuko asked.

"Pokemon Rangers have a Field Guide for Pokemon called a Browser. Nema and I made an app version compatible with our Digivices. If I install it, you two can identify Pokemon as you meet them."

"I see…Thanks." Yuuko and Yuugo gave Arata their Digivices.

"Thank you, Nema. Arata." Summer said.

"Just leave this to us!" Nema smiled. "That's right! Ben, come on! Give me your Styler!"

"Huh?"

"While I'm at it, I'll do a little maintenance for you, too!"

As Nema, Arata and their Digimon left for the lab, Kyoko turned to her assistants. "While that's going on, I think I'll do a little research on Moltres, Involiths, and the Ancient Gate. Why don't you two go on patrol?"

"Okay." They nodded.

Date shrugged. "You know what? What the heck. I might as well tag along."

"Huh?"

"Why not? Let the expert show the rookies how it's done. Now let's get moving! Better not fall behind!" Date walked out of the house. Takumi and Ami groaned as they fallowed.

"Ho boy." Ben sighed. "Those two sure have their hands full."

* * *

Takumi, Ami, Terriermon and Palmon sighed as they walked while listening Date rant on the importance of their job and why they should listen to her. "…And that is why you two should take this more seriously then-Hey are you even listening?!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks when they heard a shriek. "What was that?!" Ami asked.

"Sounds like trouble!" Takumi replied. "And it came from the area near the bridge!"

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Date yelled. "Come on, let's go!"

* * *

"So that's what you guys went through." Summer said as she sat down. "That's quite a story. It goes way back to when you were kids…"

"Yup." Nokia nodded. "Meeting Agumon and Gabumon… Jinkemen's gang, the Eaters, the Royal Knights, Suedou, King Drasil…It was one crazy ride."

"I'll say." Nema said as she twisted a screwdriver against Summer's Styler.

"So, what did you guys do when you got home?" Ben asked. "I can only imagine moving on with your lives after something like that. Did Takumi and Ami go back to working for Kyoko?" Nokia, Arata, Yuuko and Yuugo looked at each other. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Welllllll…It wasn't that simple…There's actually a bit more to the story." Nokia said.

"Oh! Tell us!" Nema chirped.

"I'm interested." Summer smiled.

"Me too." Ben added.

His partner jumped. "Pichu!"

"I duuno guys…"

"Come on Nokia! I want to hear what you did next!" Agumon said.

"Yeah! It sounds interesting!" Gabumon added.

"Awww! I can't say no to you two! Okay! I'll tell you! See it was after King Drasil sent us home. Well more like during. Yuugo left back to his body and we could see the Digimon going home. Even the Royal Knights! But while we were so excited about going home when…"

"Did something bad happen?" Summer asked.

"Takumi and Ami just…Disappeared. Right in front of our eyes."

"Did they just go back to their bodies like Yuugo did? You said they also had EDEN Syndrome."

"That's what we thought…" Arata said. "So, we went straight to the hospital. We were relieved to see Yuugo awake again but Takumi and Ami…They were still in a coma."

"Why? What happened?" Ben asked.

"Apparently over exposer to Eaters damaged their half-cyber bodies too much. They broke down in between dimensions. We had no idea what to do. At first, we just waited and hoped, thinking they would just show up, like they did before. But after the first week Nokia decided that we needed to find them."

"Heh. Always ready to make a stand, huh Nokia?"

"Naturally! So Arata and I went into EDEN! Like the Semi Sleuths we were!"

"Semi Sleuths?" Ben chuckled.

"It was either let her pick the name or let her call me "Assistant Boy." Arata groaned.

"So anyway, we spent the next couple of days wandering around EDEN asking anyone we met. We left Yuugo and Yuuko to keep an eye on their bodies…Then one day…"

* * *

Arata and Nokia walked towards the hospital. They came inside and into the lobby. It had been a while since they last came there. If fact the last time they were there was when Nokia made the decision to search for Takumi and Ami. Yuugo and Yuuko were already waiting for them. Yuugo wasn't leaning on his sister to stand.

"Hey, Yuugo!" Nokia chirped. "Look at you! You don't even need help to stand!"

"Hopefully it won't be longer before I can walk on my own."

"We've been looking everywhere." Arata sighed. "Nobody in EDEN has seen them…"

"Hey, you better not think about giving up!" Nokia glared.

"Heck no! I owe those two too much! I'm not losing another friend! Not the way I did eight years ago…"

"Yeah! We'll find them! And we're bringing them back!"

Yuuko and Yuugo glanced at each other. They sighed. The sister was the first to speak. "Actually…That's why we called you here…It's about Takumi and Ami. We have some bad news…"

Arata and Nokia looked at her. "Bad news?" Arata asked.

"Yes I…I didn't know how I was going to say this…But it won't help anyone to dance around the matter…"

"Y-Yuuko? What are you saying?" Nokia asked as she and Arata started to get scared. "You don't mean…?! But the doctor said…!"

"I'm sorry…I should have done something…" Yuuko sadly looked to the side. "Takumi…Ami…"

Arata clutched his fists. "No…Don't say it…"

"They're missing."

Arata and Nokia were completely thrown off. Their next words they said in sync with equal volume. "THAT'S IT?!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I thought you were going to tell us they were dead!" Nokia yelled.

"What?! I never said that!"

"Well then, don't trail off like that!" Arata growled. "Seriously, I nearly had a heart attack!"

"Guys, please calm down." Yuugo said, glancing at all the people in the lobby who were staring at them. "Takumi and Ami aren't dead…At least I hope not. But they disappeared this morning."

"Disappeared? What do you mean?" Nokia asked.

"We were in the special ward today. We thought we would pay them a visit even if they were still unconscious. But we saw their room completely empty."

"Wh-what?! Then what happened to them?! Were they kidnapped?!"

Yuuko shook her head. "I don't think so. The staff took a look at the door. It doesn't look like it was broken into. They believe it was opened from the inside…"

"The inside…?" Arata asked. He and Nokia looked at each other. They slowly smiled as a new light met their eyes. "That must mean…They're awake!"

Nokia's face lite up in excitement. "Really?! That's great! They really did pull through!"

"But the question is where did they go?" Yuuko asked. "They didn't even check out."

"They managed to sneak past the entire staff?" Arata asked. "Wow. Something tells me you guys need to step up security. They don't even have half-cyber bodies anymore."

"Those idiots just do whatever they want!" Nokia groaned. "I'll give them a good yelling once we find them!"

Yuugo smiled. "Then we're committed."

"Absolutely! I said I would find them, and I meant it!"

Arata nodded. "Same here. I won't give up until I find those dolts."

"They were always there for us." Yuuko said. "Now it's our turn to help them."

* * *

"We all made it our mission to find Takumi and Ami." Arata said. Ben, Pichu, Summer, Fei, Nema and the Digimon in the room listened closely.

"I'm amazed someone could slip out of a special hospital right under everyone's noses right after coming out of a coma." Ben said.

"So, what happened next?" Guilmon asked.

Arata smiled. "Well…For the next two days we divided our jobs. I asked around in online chat rooms, Yuuko continued to search EDEN, Yuugo asked the staff and patients in the hospital, in case anyone saw them leave and Nokia asked around in the real world."

"Some of the patients did see them walk out." Yuugo said. "That at least confirmed that they were awake and that they weren't kidnapped at least. One day we were meeting up in Shinjuku to pool everything we learned but…"

* * *

The results overall were…disappointing. Not a single clue on their location. No sightings other then what Yuugo reported. They sat on some steps and sighed. "Two days of turning cyberspace, and Tokyo inside out and not a single clue." Nokia groaned. "I know they have to be somewhere and I'm not giving up, but…"

"It's natural to feel anxious." Yuugo said.

"This would be a lot easier if Kyoko were around." Yuuko sighed.

"Would it?" Arata asked. "That wasn't even Kyoko we were with, it was Alphamon, remember?"

"You're right…The real Kyoko likely would have forgotten everything like everyone else."

"Excuse me." All four of them were startled when they heard a voice behind them. An elderly man approached from behind. "Pardon the interruption. But did you just mention Kyoko Kuremi?"

"Erm…Yes." Yuuko replied. She, Nokia, and Arata knew who this man was. It was Matayoshi. But they knew he wouldn't remember them. "Have you seen her? We've been looking for a while now…"

"Ah. Well Kyo-Kyo just got out of the hospital recently."

All four of them got up. "What?!"

"She's been back at work since. Actually, I was just on my way over for an update on the case I left her. If you need to see her, I'd be happy to give you kids a lift."

"Yes…Yes, thank you very much!" Nokia replied.

* * *

It was a short drive to Nakano Broadway. As they got inside, Nokia, Arata, Yuugo and Yuuko got anxious. They walked inside the building and to an old looking door they all recognized. Matayoshi smiled. "Here we are. The one and only Kuremi Agency." He firmly knocked the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and they entered inside. The kids were in shock. They had been looking for Kyoko as well as Takumi and Ami but never found a trace. And now here she was. The detective sat at her desk.

"Detective Matayoshi. Thanks for coming by. Oh? Brought guests with you?"

"Kyo-Kyo. Sorry if this is out of the blue, but I was heading out to meet you, when I found these youngsters, who said they were looking for you."

Nokia and the others stepped forward. "Unusual to have this many people looking for me." Kyoko said. "I assume this means you have a case you'd like me to take on?"

"Yes." Yuuko nodded.

"You have good timing. We're just about done with our current case. Once we officially close it, we'll be free to help you out. For now, would you like to tell me about your problem?"

"Well, you see…We were hoping you might help us find our missing friends."

"Missing?" Matayoshi asked.

"Yeah. See they were comatose at the hospital for a while now." Yuugo explained. "Then all the sudden, they just disappeared from their room. We don't think it was a kidnapping, but we can't find them anywhere."

"Interesting…Can you give me a description of them?"

"They're twin siblings." Arata said. "Red hair, goggle model Digivices, have kind of an annoying cheerful attitude coupled with reckless tendencies-

"What kind of description is that?!" Nokia asked. "Let me do it! So yeah, they're pretty cheerful, they have red hair like me, they wear goggles all the time, they're brother and sister and they do crazy things without really thinking."

"That's exactly what I just said you moron."

Kyoko seemed slightly surprised. A smile came to her face. "Interesting…That all sounds very familiar…"

"Huh? Really?" Nokia asked.

"Heh, heh…If my hunch is correct, this may be the easiest case I've ever received."

"What do you-

The door opened behind them. "We're back."

"Sorry for the wait. We- As soon as the two newcomers and Nokia, Arata, Yuugo and Yuuko laid eyes on each other they froze.

It was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Nokia spoke up. "T-Takumi…? Ami…?"

"Guys? What are you…?" Takumi couldn't even finish his sentence. Nobody knew how to react at first.

Then suddenly Nokia rushed towards them. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Without warning she ran right over to the twins and punched them each in the face so hard they fell onto their rears. Takumi and Ami were thrown off guard. They were about to rub their sore cheeks when they saw the most furious expression on Nokia's face and froze. "YOU JERKS! Do you have any idea how worried we were!? We spent two days looking all over EDEN _and _Tokyo for you two and you were just wandering around here?! You couldn't have made a quick call when you woke up to just say "Hey! We're all right!" before running off!? And what the heck were you thinking, sneaking out of the special ward without telling anyone?! What if you hurt yourselves?! Yuugo is still having trouble walking, so you should either be in bed or helping us take care of him! Plus, how are we going to explain this to the doctors?! And thanks to you I wasted my time running around EDEN thinking you became ghosts with the self-proclaimed non-geek as my assistant boy! And as for running around playing detectives when you could still be suffering aftereffects from being in the hospital come on! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

Everyone didn't know what to say. Nokia was always the more…chatty one. But this reaction threw everyone off completely. And nobody knew how to react. Nokia's face showed fury. Yet her eyes were already filled with tears. "No…kia…" was all Ami could say.

The next thing she and Takumi knew, the girl ran up and kneeled to their level to throw her arms around the twins, pulling them into a tight embrace. "You dummies. *sniff* You've finally come back…I'm so glad…I missed you…"

Again, Takumi and Ami were thrown off guard. But slowly they hugged Nokia back. Yuugo smiled and glanced at his sister and Arata. "Well, she's had her turn. Either of you got something to add?"

"What's left?" Arata chuckled. "She talks enough for twenty people..."

"Yeah…" Yuuko added. "Nokia said everything I was going to…"

"Well…in that case…" Yuugo hurried over to them and joined the embrace. "Welcome back. Takumi. Ami."

Yuuko looked ready to cry herself as she ran over and joined them. "Yes! Welcome home!"

Arata stood where he was, silent as a statue at first. But he soon groaned. "Aw, dang it, peer pressure!" He ran over and joined the group hug. "Come here you jerks!" Kyoko and Matayoshi smiled.

The twins wanted the moment to last forever. But there was just one problem. "Uh, guys? You're…kinda crushing us." Takumi muttered.

"Too bad!" Nokia grinned through tears, tightening her grip. "You deserve it!"

"N-no…Seriously…" Ami wheezed as she tried to squirm out of the monstrous pressure all around her. "Can't breathe!"

"Ack!" Everyone backed away, so Takumi and Ami could take a deep breath after nearly suffocating.

"Heh, heh…You guys sure can be rough." Takumi chortled.

Even Arata had to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. "Yeah, it really is you alright!"

Kyoko cleared her throat. "Sorry, to interrupt this heart-warming reunion, but I still need my assistants to hand in their report."

"Oh, right." Takumi and Ami stood up and walked over to Kyoko's desk. The boy handed her some small papers that were torn from his notebook and paperclipped together. "As we said when we called, we caught the guy talking about the contracts. Did you get the video, I sent from my Digivice?"

"I did. He didn't see you, did he?"

"No."

Matayoshi grinned. "Good. He won't know we're coming for him."

Kyoko smiled and put the papers in her desk. "We'll leave the rest to Matayoshi. Good work today. You two are off duty. Go spend some time with these friends, that worried over you so much."

Takumi and Ami nodded. But they didn't even have a chance to turn around before, Nokia wrapped her arms around Ami and pulled her away as Arata had Takumi in a headlock. The six kids were laughing all the way out the door.

* * *

They went straight to the café. They had been there before many times. But this time they were all together. "Finally." Arata smiled. "It always seems so hard to get the six of us together, but we made it work."

Everyone was sitting at the tables laughing. "Sorry for making you all worry like that." Takumi said before rubbing his cheek. "Ow. That stung a bit…"

Ami winced. "Yeah…I didn't think you had it in you Nokia…"

"Heh, heh! Come on, the leader of the Rebels is no softy!" Nokia grinned.

"What happened?" Yuuko asked. "You two just disappeared on the way back."

"Our half-cyber bodies broke apart." Ami replied. "We overexposed ourselves to Eaters."

"Ugh. See? SEE?!" Nokia yelled. "That's why we told you two not to do that!"

"After a while Alphamon found us and with the Digimon we befriended, she reinstalled our mental data to our real bodies."

"So that's how you were able to suddenly wake up." Yuugo said. "But why did you sneak out of the hospital? You could have told us…"

Takumi shook his head. "No. We couldn't wait. We had something we needed to do."

"What do you mean?" Arata asked.

"While we were unconscious…we heard a voice…Nokia's voice."

The red-head looked at them. "Huh? Me?"

"Yeah. We could hear you talking…you said all kinds of things…Yuuko's father and Rie…Suedou…this new reality we live in…"

"That's right! We went to visit you! You both didn't respond but…I just couldn't help myself…I kept talking, thinking somehow you might hear me…"

Ami nodded. "And we heard you say…Kyoko was nowhere to be found…You believed we could find her…"

"That's why you left so suddenly?" Arata asked. "To look for her?" The twins nodded.

"So, where did you find her?" Yuuko asked.

Ami chuckled. "It's always the same. We never find her. She finds us."

They all smiled. "I'm just so glad you two are finally back where you belong." Nokia chirped. "We missed you two so much."

"Thanks. Hard to believe all that's happened huh?" Ami asked. "It feels like a dream but…I've no doubt in my mind that it happened."

Nokia looked sadly at her Digivice. "Agumon…Gabumon…All those guys…Do you think we'll see them again?"

Takumi took off hiss goggles and looked at them. "Yeah. I Know we will. Terriermon…Palmon…Alphamon…We'll see them all again someday."

"You're right. Uh, by the way, can I ask you two something?"

Ami looked up. "Hmm? What is it Nokia?"

Nokia gave them an uneasy look. "Why did you two dump a packet of ketchup and mustard into your coffee?"

"Oh, it's a new blend we're working on." Ami replied cheerfully holding up her cup. "Want to try some?"

* * *

"And that's it." Nokia concluded.

"Well…He was right." Ben smiled. "You guys did meet your Digimon again."

"Yup! And like always, those two will do their best with said Digimon to help people and kick butt! After all they are…"

* * *

"Dum Dum Uppercut!"

"Needle Spray!"

Gargomon and Togamon knocked out a Skunktank. The two Pinchers that were controlling it backed away. "You creeps!" Date growled, holding a rabbit Digimon similar to Terriermon, but with brown and pink fur. "Picking on such a poor little critter like this!"

Both of the Pinchers were petrified with fear. "Ju-Just who are you guys?!"

Takumi stepped forward. Ami at his side. "We're the Cyber Sleuths!"

* * *

**One thing I really wished we could to see at the end of Cyber Sleuth was Takumi/Ami having an emotional reunion with his/her friends when they got his/her body back, so here's me writing my take on how that went. Hope you Hackers Memory players got the reference in Nokia's flip out. I even included the same number of letters in the long "arg" at the end. In any case, one Summer's Styler is fixed she'll be officially joining in on the action. **


	18. Chapter 18: The Pinchers' Hidout

**While waiting for Nema to fix Summer's Styler, the team spends time getting to know each other while Nokia and her friends tell the Rangers about their previous adventure. With the Styler fixxed, the team learns the location of the Pokemon Pincher's base, and prepare to attack. **

* * *

Back at Rand's place, Tokomon, Calumon and the Digimon Takumi, Ami and Date rescued jumped up and down on the table in delight.

"Lopmon!"

"Tokomon! Calumon!"

The others laughed as the reunited friends bounced around. "So, you found the little guy on patrol?" Rand asked.

Takumi nodded. "Some Pinchers were about to attack the poor thing, but we chased them off."

"That's good." Nema said. "Oh, by the way, Calumon and Tokomon were helping me with something. You know how your Digivices absorbed all the Digimon you defeated? The two of us have been looking into that for a while."

"And? Did you learn anything?"

Nema flipped her monitor over so everyone could see the screen. A few strange eggs were scattered around.

"What are those?" Date asked.

"When a Digimon is destroyed their data reconfigures back into what Tokomon and Calumon call a "digi-egg."

"Right. And then it will hatch into a new Digimon." Terriermon explained.

Tokomon nodded. "But here's something strange. After a digi-egg forms around here, it leaves of some kind of…extra data."

"Extra? What do you mean?" Yuugo asked.

"According to Calumon it's similar to the data a Digivice emanates to Digivolve."

Ami held her chin. "I wonder if it's something about this world that's doing that…"

"So, anyway, I want to try to install it into all of your Digivices and see if it will do anything. It might come in handy."

"Okay."

As Takumi and the others gave Nema their Digivices, Matayoshi looked and Summer and Yuuko. "Are you sure there's nothing else you can recall of where you two were held?"

"No. Sorry." Summer sighed.

"Hey, don't worry." Ben replied. "We'll figure it all out."

* * *

Later Nema returned with Arata close behind. "Okay! We're finished!"

Nema handed Ben and Summer their Stylers. The girl Ranger was surprised to see her heavily damaged one look brand new. "That was only five minutes. You really fixed it already?" Before she got an answer, it stated beeping. "Oh! The Styler is picking up a signal from the homing device. Nema, Arata, you're amazing!"

"Where is it?" Takumi asked.

"Ummm…apparently…it's Mitonga Island!"

"What? Really?" Ben asked.

Summer nodded. "It's pointing to the area around the southern coast of the island."

"So, their base is on Mitonga, as we thought." Kyoko said. "Rand, do you know any areas they might be able to hide in?"

The older Ranger thought for a moment. "If you pass through the cave in the village, there is a cape. There are no people around there, so it is fairly suspicious."

"Then that's where we'll start." Ami said.

"I'm afraid it's not so simple. See, the road to the cape is mostly sheer cliffs. Landslides have also left boulders all over the road."

"Really? Then they might not be there after all." Date said. "I mean, how do you build a hideout in a place like that?"

"We'll it's our only lead for now." Ami said. "We might as well go check it out."

Summer nodded. "If we can find out where they are, they're ours! Then the Pinchers' ambitions are as good as foiled!"

"Wait a minute."

Everyone glanced at Nema. "What's wrong?" Nokia asked.

"Ben, it's about your Styler. When I was doing some maintenance, I found some locked functions, so I went and unlocked them while I was there. So, you have more Modification options on your Styler. Also…"

Ben's Styler beeped before the Voice Nav. spoke up. **"A high-level function has been unlocked. Using the Power charge is now possible."**

"Cool!"

"Power Charge?" Yuuko asked. "What's that?"

"It can increase the power of the capture line and convey my feelings to Pokemon faster. This'll come in handy."

"I even made it possible to use the Power Charge in Sign Mode!" Nema sang.

"That's neat, but why didn't you have that from the start?" Fei asked.

"Usually, you need 's permission to unlock function…" Rand replied. "This time we don't have any other option, so I'll give you permission to unlock the functions. I think you are well prepared at this point. Those villains are still up to no good in these areas all over Oblivia."

"In other words, we still need people here." Matayoshi nodded. "Not all of us can go to the hideout."

"I'll go." Ben said. "Summer, can you come with me?"

"Of course! We won't just let them do whatever they please!"

"Takumi and I will go too." Ami said. Her brother nodded.

"That should be enough people." Kyoko said. "The rest of us will stay here."

"Then it's decided, Rand!" Murph declared. "Leave it to us!"

"Okay. Murph, you are going on patrol with me."

"Yes, sir!" Murph eagerly replied. "…Wait a minute. Something's not right here."

"We could use someone experienced with Pokemon like you to help take care of the one's living here with the young Rangers out." Kyoko said.

"Oh! Okay! Let's all work together and go on patrol!" Murph said performing his own pose.

"Darn right!" Nokia cheered. "We're gonna protect every last one of those poor Pokemon from the bad guys!"

"The rest of us will head to the hideout." Summer said.

"Huh? No comments about my cool pose?" Murph asked.

"Oh, I can give it a comment, but you're not gonna like it." Arata replied sarcastically. Keramon snickered.

Yuugo chuckled before turning to the team. "Be careful out there."

"We will." Takumi said.

Ben took his share of the group outside and looked at his Styler. "Nema said the Power Charge can work on Sign Mode. Let's see what happens if I call Raikou with it."

He shot the Styler and it landed on the ground. It stayed still as a gold aura formed around it. When Ben drew the Sight, it left a rainbow trail. Raikou came down in a even brighter flash than usual. It let out a roar as it appeared.

"Wow! It seems even more alive than usual!" Terriermon said.

Ben and Summer climbed onto Raikou. Pichu jumped onto his partner's shoulder. "Can Raikou carry all of us?" Summer asked.

"He won't need to." Ben smirked. "These two have their Connect Jump."

"Their…what?"

"Oh, right. We never explained that, did we?" Ben pointed his Styler at the Cyber Sleuths. "Takumi? Ami? Care to show her?"

Tamumi and Ami nodded before extending their hands. "Connect Jump!"

Ben's Styler glowed blue, and the twins were sucked into its light.

Summer was dumbstruck. "What was…?! How did…?!"

"Right now, Takumi and his friends aren't in their real bodies." Ben explained. "Their half-cyber entities. They act like data but they exist in the real world."

Summer needed a moment to process this before she spoke again. "So…Not only are they stranded in our world but…They don't know what's happening to their real bodies?"

Ben hadn't thought about that. "I…"

"Sheesh. Don't go fussing over that on our account." Both Ranger's were startled when they heard Takumi's voice from the Styler. "This isn't the first time this happened to us, remember? We'll be fine."

"But…"

"Look, if you guys want to worry about something, worry about Pichu's friends and Summer's partner." It was Ami's voice coming from the Styler this time. "At least we can do something about them right now. The rest will come when we get there."

"…Okay. Well, let's go RaikoOOOOOOOU!"

The Pokemon rushed ahead even faster than usual. Ben, Summer and Pichu were holding on for dear life.

* * *

It wasn't by any means long before Raikou came to a screeching halt at Tilt Village. Ben slowly climbed off with Summer and the legendary left in a flash. The Rangers couldn't even take two steps before they stumbled to the ground.

Ben's Styler flashed and Takumi and Ami came out. "You two okay?" Takumi asked as they helped the Ranger's up.

"Y-yeah...just shaky." Summer replied. The approached the wooden stairs when something caught her eye. "Ben! I wonder if that's the cave Rand was talking about. "Let's have a look!"

They made their way to the lower area of the village and soon reached what appeared to be a cave. "That must be it." Takumi said. "Let's go."

"Wait!" A young lady caught glimpse of them. "There's a dangerous cliff on the other side of that cave. The falling rocks are really dangerous too. Are you still going to go?"

"We have no choice." Takumi replied.

"We're Pokemon Rangers!" Summer added. "We have to go, no matter what, to protect Oblivia!"

"You two are Pokemon Rangers, Takumi and I are Cyber Sleuths." Ami corrected.

"I-I see…I didn't understand a word of that, but please be careful."

"We will. Come on, let's go." Ben lead the team into the small, cool cave. It was empty, and short, so it was just a few seconds before they reached the other end. They were on a barren looking cliff.

"Wow. This place is charming." Palmon muttered.

"Hey look!" Ben pointed at two Pinchers on Z.Z. Fliers near a dead tree.

The girl Pincher glanced at them. "My, my, how cute. Are you on a field trip from the Ranger School? Great timing. I'll just steal your lunches and make them mine!"

"How old does she think we are?" Ami pouted.

"Hold on! Those are full-fledged Pokemon Rangers!" The other Pincher said. "And those red-haired kids must be the "Cyber Sleuths" we were told about!"

"Finally, someone remembers that!" Takumi grinned.

"Cyber-what now?" the female Pincher asked.

"Didn't you hear? They even caught our leader! Isn't that why our departure was delayed?"

"Departure must mean that you guys…You're planning to put a major plan into motion!" Summer said. "And the leader of the operation is Blue Eyes!"

"They figured it out, because you talk too much!" the female Pincher glared.

"It's because you were babbling about field trips and lunches! Anyway, forget about that. We only have two minutes until departure!"

"Oh no! …So we'd better be going. Good-bye, Cyber Rangers and Pokemon Sleuths! Chase us if you want! It won't do you any good."

"Did she seriously just mix up the names?" Ben asked as the Pinchers flew off.

"Never mind that!" Takumi said. "If what they just said is true, we need to move now!"

Summer nodded. "They said in about two minutes. We have to hurry there before their operation starts!"

The four teens hurried down the path. Soon they came to a fork in the road. The right path was a dead end, and the left was blocked by boulders. Summer was the first to stop. "We can't get past these rocks!"

"And the right path is out." Ami added.

"So that's why they were so sure we couldn't catch them!"

"Well, they were sorely mistaken!" Ben shot his Styler into the air. "Takumi! Ami! Connect Jump into Summer's Styler, quick!"

As the Cyber Sleuths disappeared into Summer's Styler, Ben charged his and performed a rainbow version on Entei's Guardian Sign with the Power Charge. "Go, Guardian Sign! Entei come forth!" In a burst of flames, the Fire Type appeared. Ben climbed on and reached a hand to Summer to help her up. The Pokemon roared and charged though the boulders, without flinching.

"Wow! Entei's even stronger now!" Summer said as they passed through every bolder in sight without slowing down. Soon bigger boulders came into view. "Think he can get through those?"

Ben nodded and stroked Entei's fur. "I know he can. I'm counting on you, Entei!" The Pokemon charged even faster. It glowed slightly as it blasted the boulders to pieces as it ran forward. "Yeah, That's it! Break through!"

After around thirty seconds, of smashing rocks, Ben and Summer saw a cliff ahead of them. "Now what?!" Summer panicked. "Entei can't make that jump!"

"Maybe, but I know who can!" Ben shot his Styler again. This time he drew Raikou's Sign with the Power Charge. "Go, Guardian Sign! Raikou, come forth!"

A bolt of lighting came down. Raikou appeared and ran alongside Entei. Knowing there was no time to stop, Ben turned around and picked up Summer, making her shriek. One arm was under her back, and the other was holding her legs, making her blush. He glanced at Pichu, to make sure he was holding onto his shoulder. "Hang on you two!" He jumped off of Entei and landed on Raikou's back. "Thanks, Entei!" Ben said, holding onto Summer with one arm and Raikou with the other.

As Entei turned back, Raikou jumped over the massive cliff. Then it jumped across another. Then up ahead, small thin pillars rising from the pit. Small circular stones balanced on top of them. "Uh…Ben…? Those look kinda fragile…" Summer muttered.

"Not a problem! Let's go Raikou!"

Summer screamed as Raikou jumped onto one of the stone plates. It immediately started crumbling. Just as Raikou jumped to the next, it crumbled into pieces. It made its way across the footholds, with Summer gripping Ben for dear life. She sighed as she gripped him tighter. _"Ben is so amazing…The legendary Pokemon trust him and follow his lead…What am I compared to him? I'm…worthless…"_

Soon the sea was in sight. Raikou jumped across to more footholds above the water. Then it stopped on one more before Ben and Summer saw a giant metal vessel floating in the water. A hatch opened and the Pincher's they were chasing flew in. "That must be the sub I saw before I met Takumi and Ami! Raikou!"

On Ben's orders, Raikou jumped over to the submarine. He climbed down with Summer still in his arms and set her down on her feet before Takumi, Ami and their Digimon came out of her Styler. "So, the Pokemon Pinchers' hideout is a Subarime!" Summer said in awe. "That means Yuuko and I were held inside here…"

"I gotta admit, that's pretty clever." Takumi said. "It's not easy for someone to find your base of operations if it's constantly moving underwater."

Ami nodded. "And look at the size of this thing! I bet everything they caught is sent in here."

"That means my Staraptor should still be locked up inside, along with the other pinched Pokemon!" Summer added.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Terriermon asked. "Let's do this thing!"

Ami looked at Ben. "Wait. Ben, I don't think Raikou should come with us. This thing will be swarming with grunts, and we can't bring too much attention to ourselves."

"Good point." Ben nodded at Raikou and it jumped back to land and took off. "Thank you, Raikou!" He then turned to his friends. "Well, then. Let's make ourselves like steel and charge in though the hatch!" One by one then entered the submarine.

* * *

**Short chapter this time I'm afraid, but next one should be longer as we start the submarine raid. **


	19. Chapter 19: The Submarine Takeover

**After fixing Summer's Styler, the team learns the location of the Pokemon Pinchers hideout. A submarine near**** Mitonga Island. Ben, Summer, Takumi and Ami enter, their craft with the objective of rescuing the captured Pokemon and putting an end to the Pokemon Pinchers' plans.**

* * *

Ben, Pichu, Summer, Takumi, Ami, Terriermon and Palmon were in awe as they entered the Submarine. The hatch closed shortly after they entered, and they heard dinging sounds from the speakers. **"Commencing diving! All hands to stations!"**

"It looks like the Submarine has started moving." Summer muttered. "There's no going back now."

"For now, let's look for Blue Eyes." Ben said. "We captured her before, we can do it again. Then the others should back off and surface this thing."

"Sounds like a plan." Summer said. "Let's go."

They went down the first hall and deeper into the submarine. The next room had a Gligar, a Sandslash and a Pikachu. "Looks like it isn't only Pinchers guarding the place." Takumi said. "You and Summer can make some friends without alerting anyone. Best not to rely on Guardian Signs here. Even if they do work, we're screwed if Raikou or Entei make a hole in this thing."

"Okay. Let's go Summer."

"Right."

Both Rangers stepped forward. "Capture on!"

* * *

"So, wait, if communications don't work with the tower out of commission, how do we know if Takumi and the others are safe?" Nokia asked.

Nema was at her computer. "Already planned for this! Hang on…"

* * *

"Thundershock!" On Ben and Summer's orders, two Luxio short circulated an electric lock on a huge gate with a burst of electricity and it opened.

"Thank you!" Summer waved the Pokemon off as they left.

"Alright, let's move." Ami said leading the group.

"I wish our footsteps weren't so loud." Takumi sighed as he listened to the clomping sounds as they continued. "Anyone could hear us coming…"

Two Gible stood in front of two Pinchers. "I don't believe it…How in the world did you sneak in here?" the girl Pincher asked.

Her friend turned to her with a panicked expression on his face. "If we don't stop them here, we're in trouble! I'll call for help! Everyone! Come here a sec!"

Ami cringed. "Uh, oh."

"What? What? What's going on?" Another Pincher came in with another Gabile. Three more came from behind with three Makuhita.

"It's the Rangers! And those other two must be the Cyber Sleuths!"

"Hey, you!" One of them grinned at Summer. "Do you miss being a hostage already?"

"Not really. I've come to give you a little payback for your hospitality."

"You're all talk." Another one smirked. "You should know from looking at our numbers there is no way you can win. And if you don't know, we'll keep going until you do!"

"Quantity means nothing if you don't have the quality to back it up." Takumi replied, tugging on his glove. "Terriermon, let's show em!"

"Go for it Palmon!"

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Digivolve to…Gargomon!"

"Palmon, Digivolve to…Togamon!"

"So, this is that sudden evolving the leader mentioned these "Digimon" can do, huh?" one of the Pinchers asked. "No biggie. Get em!"

"Ben and I will get those blue Pokemon." Takumi said. "Ami, Summer, the yellow ones are all yours!"

"Go, Sandslash!" Ben's friend Pokemon howled and pillars of stone rose from the ground. It then shattered one of them with its claws, sending fragments at the Gabile.

"Mach Rush!" Gargomon came in, punching each of them with his metallic fists.

Back on the other end, the Makuhita threw punch after punch at Togamon, who had no trouble blocking the attacks with her gloves. "Needle Spray!" It shot a hail of pins, at them, making them retreat.

"Chimchar, Ember!" Summer ordered as her newly caught friend Pokemon jumped over her and shot a burst of flame. She and Ben then drew loops over the Pokemon with their Stylers. They got a few nicks in on their Stylers, but soon they became tame and ran off.

"Is that all you got?" Ami laughed.

"Well, I guess even our leader had trouble with you…"

"Inform the whole crew that the ship has been infiltrated!" The Pinchers ran off in separate directions.

"Great. So much for the stealthy approach." Takumi sighed. "We need to find Blue Eyes and take her down fast!"

"Agreed." Ben nodded. "Come on!"

They hurried into the next room. "Just how big is this sub?" Togamon asked.

"Picchuu!"

Ben looked at his wide-eyed partner. "What's up, Pichu?" The Pokemon ran into a narrow doorway to their left. "Pichu?"

"What's gotten into him?" Gargomon asked.

"There must be something over there." Ami said. "Let's follow him."

"Picchuu! Picchuu!"

"Did you find something Pichu?" Ben asked as they stopped in front of the Pokemon. Pichu stared a sturdy looking giant red cage.

"Piiichuuu! Picchu! Pichu Picchuu!"

"Is there something special about that cage?" Summer asked.

"Wait…" Gargomon said, raising his ears. "I can hear cries from that cage!"

"Really?" Takumi asked. "It must be the Pokemon they caught! If they're in a cage right now, then they must not be under their control yet. Let's bust them out. If they run wild, it'll distract the Pinchers, while we go after Blue Eyes!"

"Good idea." Ben nodded. "Sandslash!"

"Gligar!" Ben and Summer's friend Pokemon slashed the door to the cage apart. "Thank you so much!" Summer waved as they left.

Suddenly a Pichu ran out of the cage. Then another. Then a Marill and a Ursaring. Then another two Pichu and another Marill. "Picchuu!" Ben's partner jumped for joy as they surrounded him.

"Pichu Picu!"

"Piiiichuuu!"

The Pokemon cheered as Pichu happily played his Ukulele. "These must be all the Pokemon that the Pinchers abducted from Dolce Island." Takumi smiled. "Finally, we got all of Pichu's friends back."

"Picchuu!"

"I'm glade we got them all back Pichu." Ben smiled.

"Staar." Summer jolted at the sound of a faint cry. A huge bird hobbled over to her. "Staraptor!" Summer ran over and hugged her Pokemon. "You were locked in there along with everyone else! And your injury still hasn't healed…But you don't have to worry anymore." Summer said in a soothing tone. "Come along with us." Summer pressed a button on her Styler and a light enveloped her Staraptor, and sucked it in.

"How'd you do that?" Ami asked.

"It's one of our Stylers functions. It's similar to capsules called Pokeballs used in other regions."

Ben turned to the other Pichu. "Do you guys mind waiting here? We're going to beat the bad guys who did this, then we'll come back for you."

"Pichu?"

"Pichu!"

"I think they got it." Ami said. "Let's get back to our search."

* * *

"You built this transmitter when you were only eight?" Fei asked. "Dang kid, I'm impressed."

"Why thank you!" Nema looked at the screen of her computer. "Wait a minute…What's going on? They're moving out in the middle of the ocean."

"Huh? Did they just decide to go for a swim?" Nokia asked.

"Wait…" Yuuko thought for a moment. "Come to think of it the place Summer and I were held captive in was cold…and I had this odd sensation that we were in an enclosed space and felt as if there was some…force around us…"

"Hold on…" Kyoko pondered. "Not force…Pressure. Water pressure. Their base must be underwater."

"Really? No wonder we couldn't find them." Nema said. "So, what now?"

"We're back!" Murph and Rand hurried back inside. "The Pokemon are safe." The PR head said. "What's everyone doing here?"

Matayoshi smiled. "Murph, Date, come with me. We got something we need to do." He then went out the door.

"Huh? But I just got back! Hey, wait up!"

"You heard Matayoshi, let's move!" Date said hurrying off after him. Murph followed.

"Where's he going?" Rand asked.

"Matayoshi knows what he's doing." Kyoko replied. "Let's leave this to him."

* * *

Ben and his friends rushed down the halls and came to a stop at two Pinchers with two Rampardos. "You're pretty good to have come this far. Now that it's come to this, we have no choice but to use our trump card!"

"Rampardos! Go!"

Takumi put his goggles on to scan them. "Rampardos. Rock Type. It's skull is as hard as iron and can withstand any impact."

"Trump card huh?" Ami asked as the dinosaur-like Pokemon approached. "This must be the last line of defence."

"Then Blue Eyes is just ahead gang!" Ben said. "One last push!"

"Push?" Gargomon ran towards the Rampardos with Togamon. "You got it!" The two Digimon blocked the Rock Types headbutt with their hands.

"Aim away from their heads!" Takumi said.

"Right! Makuhita, Force Palm!"

"Sneasal! Metal Claw!" Ben and Summer's friend Pokemon jumped over Gargomon and Togamon and attacked, the Rampardos, knocking them back a bit. But then their tails swiped into the friend Pokemon, knocking them out, when they slammed into a wall. Ben and Summer launched their Stylers towards the Rampardos and started drawing loops. The Pokemon roared and kicked the Stylers, and got ready to attack.

"Needle Spray!"

"Thunder Fall!" Togamon and Gargomon shot at both of them, making them flinch. With the opening provided, Ben and Summer completed their capture and the Rampardos retreated.

"And that's how it's done!" Takumi cheered as he and Ben fist bumped. Ami and Summer hi fived.

The two Pinchers backed away. "Oh no. We're in big trouble."

The girl Pincher glanced at her partner. "We have our final tactic!"

"Is your final tactic by any chance running away like cowards?" Ami asked.

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean-Gah! They're onto us! Final tactic, go! RUN!"

"Our leader! Please save us!"

"Looks like Ami called it." Summer said. "Blue Eyes is up ahead. We don't know what kind of attacks she'll use. Better make sure we're ready. Pikachu!"

One of her friend Pokemon glowed yellow as energy flowed from its cheeks into her and Ben's Stylers, reenergizing them. "Okay! Let's get going!" Ben said.

In the control room, three Pinchers piloted the sub, with a Tododile, a Croconaw and a Feraligater. Blue Eyes stood in front of the Pinchers that were just defeated with her arms crossed.

"…So, in other words, you've been a doormat for the Rangers, and you fled here, right?"

"W-we weren't running as much as rushing to report to you…"

"Yeah, um exactly! That's what it was. There's no way we would do anything silly like run away."

"Weren't you the ones who shouted things like "RUN!" and "Our leader! Please save us!" At the sound of Ami's voice, the Pinchers whirled around to see the intruders, and their Digimon/Pokemon.

"Th-that's not it! You heard me wrong. I didn't say run, I said, ummm…Ron! That's what I said!"

"That's right, leader! The truth is my name is Ron! Sometimes people call me Ronny…or at other times, well, Ronaldo. Umm, and…"

"Is your final tactic by any chance running like cowards?"

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean-Gah! They're onto us! Final tactic, go! RUN!"

"Our leader! Please save us!"

Everyone looked at Ami, who was playing a recording on her Digivice with a smug smile. "You actually recorded that?" Summer asked.

Takumi sighed. "We really need to have a talk about how much you tease the bad guys."

Ami only smiled at her brother. "It's not my fault it's so much fun! Besides, they make it so easy, they're practically asking for it!"

The Pinchers bowed their heads to their leader. "I'm…I'm so sorry!" They then ran off.

Blue Eyes sighed before she glared at the teens. "I've had enough of your little comedy routine. So, Rangers…and Cyber Sleuths if I recall. Is there something you're here for?"

"You already know." Takumi replied. "We came here for the Pokemon you kidnapped. And while we're here, we're putting an end to your little club."

"We know you're after Moltress for some reason." Ben added. "What are you planning?"

Blue Eyes smirked as she shrugged. "It might be what you're thinking, or it might not. More importantly…I still need to pay you back." Ben and Summer aimed their Stylers as Blue Eyes did her signature pose. "For the embarrassment you caused me at the Old Mansion!"

"Hold on!" Two Pinchers who were at the controls ran up with the Tododile and Croconaw. "There's no need to trouble yourself, dear leader. We'll take care of these punks."

"It would be a shame if you were to break one of those beautiful nails." Their Pokemon stepped forward.

"Hey, wait! These aren't opponents you can handle!"

"Don't say that! Just watch! Let's go Rangers!"

"Oh no you don't!" Takumi said stepping forward. "Ami! Gargomon! Togamon! Let's get em!"

His sister nodded. "Ben and Summer, Blue Eyes is all yours!"

Ben nodded. "Thanks."

"Bring em on!" Gargomon said as he and Togamon rushed their opponents.

Blue Eyes snapped her fingers. A fully evolved Pokemon jumped over to her side and snarled.

Summer analysed it with her Styler. "Feraligatr. Water Type. Despite it's appearance, it's hind legs let it move at surprisingly high speeds."

"My Feraligatr has been cramped up in this Submarine. I'm sure it can't wait to go wild. You two had better prepare yourselves!"

"Let's go, partner!" Ben said. Summer nodded.

"Capture on!"

The Feraligatr roared as it charged at them. Ben backflipped away, and Summer cartwheeled. But then it slammed its foot into the ground and the shockwave knocked Ben and Summer off of their feet. It then turned to Summer as she was downed.

"Makuhita!" Ben's friend Pokemon jumped onto Feraligatr's head and covered its eyes. As Summer got up and put some distance between her at the Pokemon, it shook its head until Makuhita fell off. Ben and Summer started drawing loops around Feraligatr while maneuvering their Stylers around its attacks. Soon annoyed, the Feraligatr roared as it shot blasts of water, making huge puddles on the floor. It started charging at the Rangers.

"Pichu! Time for our trump card!" Ben's partner started playing music, calming the Feraligater slightly. It started to slow down before, Pichu zapped it with electricity from the Ukulele.

"Alright!" Summer said. "Just a little-WHOA!" She didn't watch her step, and slipped on a puddle, before landing on her rear. "Owww…"

Blue Eyes pointed at Summer. "Hydro Pump!" Feraligatr, raised its head.

"Summer!" Ben rushed towards the Feraligatr, but it slapped its tail into him, knocking him aside. It then turned back at Summer and shot a stream of water at her.

"ACK!" She was pushed a wall, and was pressed up against it, as water still sprayed at her. She franticly spat out water, trying to get a breath in, but the attack kept spraying her face while draining her Styler Energy.

Suddenly a yellow beam hit Feraligatr in the back. Blue Eyes looked behind her to see Takumi and Gargomon. Todidile and Croconaw running away. Ami and Togamon approached as well. "Sorry to keep you waiting. We're joining in!"

The two Pinchers, formally controlling them were backed against a wall. "Well, that's how it goes, dear leader…"

"I'd like to ask you again to please take them out!"

The leader sighed. "Apparently if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. You nitwits back off."

As Togaman and Gargomon, jumped at Feraligatr, Ben ran over to the soaked Summer, who coughed up and spat out water. "Are you okay?"

Summer gasped. "I-I think so…"

As Ben helped her up, they saw Gargomon, on Feraligatr's back, and Togamon holding its arms. The Rangers nodded to each other and fired their Stylers, and charged them before they looped around the Feraligater at a rapid rate, finishing the capture. Once it stopped thrashing, Gargomon and Togamon slowly let it go. It grunted before marching away.

Blue Eyes was in shock. "My Feraligatr…I can't believe it lost."

"No. YOU lost." Ben corrected.

"You call it your Feraligatr, but I couldn't sense any emotional bond between you at all." Summer added.

"Pokemon and Digimon are the same." Ami said. "They aren't tools to be used selfishly."

"They live their own lives and make their own decisions." Gargomon added. "You have no right to take that from them."

"Your way is to make Pokemon do what you want by using the Control Gauntlet to secure them." Ben said. "Next, you'll use that method to try and pinch Moltress, right?"

"What is it you're trying to do?" Takumi asked. "Why are you doing this to innocent creatures?"

The third Pincher ran up to them. "Leader! "that person" has contacted you wirelessly!"

Blue Eyes turned to her. "A wireless message? At a time like this? What do they want?" She and the Pincher hurried over to the monitor.

"Hey! Don't just ignore us!" Togamon yelled.

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "That person?"

Blue Eyes put on a headset. "This is Blue eyes." She paused to listen before speaking. "There aren't any serious problems…What? But that means!"

"Who's she talking to?" Ben asked.

Blue Eyes seemed shocked. "Even if you say that…Understood." There was an uneasy silence before Blue Eyes took off the headset slowly. It then slipped from her fingers and hit the floor. She said nothing as she slowly walked back to where she stood previously.

"L-Leader? What was that conversation about?"

"…I'll explain later. For now, we have to do something about the bad situation we're in."

"What's gotten into her?" Ami asked. "She looks so…demoralized."

"Beats me." Takumi said. "Who was she talking to anyway? Red Eyes?"

"Everyone! Time for Plan Z!" Blue Eyes announced.

"Uh, isn't that plan B?" Ben asked. "Or did that many of your plans blow up in your face by now?"

Ami grinned at her brother. "See? They make it too easy to tease them!"

The Pinchers went wide eyed. "L-Leader! Isn't Plan Z a last resort?"

"Was that wireless communication an order to start Plan Z?"

"Really? Try thinking about that. Do you think "you know who" would give an order like that? I just decided that now. All you need to do is follow your training."

"B-but this is too reckless!"

"Stop arguing!" Blue Eyes snapped. "These are your leader's orders. Commence…Plan Z!"

"Yes!"

The three of them ran to the controls. Ben and the others chased them and stopped when red lights and alarms went off. "Uh, guys, I got a bad feeling about this…" Takumi said.

"What are they going to do?!" Summer asked.

Blue Eyes glanced at them. "You'll find out soon enough!" They went to where their Z.Z. Fliers were docked and flew off.

"Hey!" Gargomon shot at them as they fled, but they escaped unscratched. "Darn it!"

"What the heck is "Plan Z" and this "you know who" guy?" Ami asked. Suddenly the floor tilted upward on them. "Wh-what the-

Ben looked up as objects started to fall at them. "LOOK OUT!"

Summer closed her eyes as they started to lose balance. "Aaiieeee!"

* * *

"Everyone!" Blue Eyes yelled. "Hurry to the hatch, like you were trained!"

"Roger, dear leader! …Whoa!"

* * *

**As promised I am having Summer play more of a role then the partner in the original game. One method is having her take part of the battles rather then just leave Ben to do all the work. Just as how I'm having Ben say some of Summer's lines so she isn't doing all of the talking for him. Think of it as taking the protagonist and the partners roles and giving them half of each others. Oh, and FYI I'm going back to edit the previous chapters to add some dialogue between Nokia and Date. Yeah, as embarrassed as I am to admit it I just learned that they're cousins. For those who don't know, apparently Mr. Hanyu mentioned that in a interview. It's interesting, but is there any reason why that wasn't brought up in game? Anyway Guardian Sign fans know what's happening next, but expect that and more next time!**


	20. Chapter 20: Rescue and Escape

**The Pokemon Rangers and Cyber Slueths sucsessfully infeltrated the Pokemon Pinchers Submarine and encountered Blue Eyes for the third time. After being defeated in battle, the commander recives a mysterious transmission form an unknown source and soon after launches Plan Z.**

* * *

"Come on, wake up!"

Summer groaned as she regained consciousness. The blurry images of Ami and Palmon came to her. She held her head in her hand as she shook it. "Owww…"

"Are you alright?" the plant Digimon asked.

"…Yeah…Just…Dizzy."

She then saw Ben still on the ground, to her left. Takumi and Terriermon were trying to wake him. "…Ben?" Summer hurried over to him and shook his shoulder.

"Ngh…Five more minutes…"

"Stop kidding around. Come on Ben!"

The Ranger groaned as he pulled himself off the floor. "Ugh…"

"Welcome back." Takumi said, helping him straighten himself.

Summer sighed in relief. "Oh, good. I thought you've been really hurt."

"Kind am, but I'll tough it out…" Ben then looked around. "Did the room get…narrower? What just happened?"

"Apparently Plan Z is just fancy talk for "let's ram our precious submarine against the rocks on the seafloor and run off like cowards again." Terriermon grumbled.

"Right now, it looks like it's standing on end. You and Summer got buried in the falling junk that came when it tilted and by the time we dug you out, you were both out cold." Ami explained.

Ben looked on the floor. He was standing on a collection of machines and chairs on top of the monitor. Looking up he saw the way out. "How nice of them." Then he noticed something else. "Wait…Where's Pichu?!"

"We don't know…Everything happened so fast, we lost sight of the little guy."

"Pi…chu…"

Summer looked around. "What was that cry?"

Terriermon pointed up. "Look!"

Pichu was just above them, clinging to a console bolted to the floor for dear life. Its little hands slipped, and he fell, landing right on top of Terriermon and they fell over.

"Ow."

"Are you two alright?" Ben asked as he picked Pichu up.

"I think so…" the Digimon groaned.

"Picchuu!"

"Oh, you scared me." Summer said. "I thought you were hurt."

"You worry too much." Ami replied.

"Does she?" Takumi asked. "We're stuck on the Seafloor, Blue Eyes got away, and I see no way out of here!"

Ben looked up. "The exit to the room is way up there…"

"Pi."

"What's up Pichu?"

Everyone glanced at Ben's partner, but it looked at them confused. "Pichu?"

"Huh? That wasn't you just now?"

Suddenly a rope ladder fell down. "Huh? Where did that come from?" Ami asked.

"Why question good fortune?" Ben asked grabbing it. "We can get out of here with it."

"Right." Takumi replied. "Let's get moving."

As they started to climb up, they heard a rumbling sound as they got half way. Summer was nearly shaken off. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but let's not stick around to find out!" Palmon replied.

Ami nodded before they all climbed to the door way. As soon as they were out, a few holes burst in the room they were in and it started to fill with water.

Summer climbed out first. Then Ben, who then helped Takumi out, followed by Ami.

"Pichu Picchu!"

Everyone looked at another Pichu. On of Ukulele Pichu's friends. Ben's partner smiled and ran up to it to hold hands. "Pichu!"

"Did he drop the ladder down?" Takumi asked.

"Picchuu!"

Ami knelt in front of it. "Thanks, little guy!"

"Pichu Pichuu."

Ukulele Pichu nodded. "Pichu!"

Suddenly an alarm went off. "Oh, come on, what now?" Ben groaned.

"**The hull has been breached at the front of the Submarine! Extreme danger! Water is flowing in very quickly. All crew should flee within ten minutes. Repeating message…"**

Everyone went wide eyed. Summer looked back at the room they escaped from and saw the water lever rise. "Oh no!"

"We gotta get out of here!" Takumi said.

"The little guy must have left the room he was in after the impact." Ami said. "The others must still be around!"

"Pichu!"

Ben patted his partner's head. "Don't worry, pal, we'll help all of your friends. I promise. In the meantime, you come with us." He pressed a button on his Styler and the other Pichu went inside it. "Now we just need to gather all the Pokemon in the Submarine and get out of here."

"How?" Ami asked. "I don't see any more ladders."

Ben grabbed onto the metal grated wall. Or rather floor. "We can improvise."

* * *

Matayoshi looked up at the sky. "Heh. Never thought I'd be doing this on the job. Well, another thing I can say I saw before retirement I suppose."

"First time I've ever been on a boat." Date said. "This thing runs pretty smooth huh? No wonder the Rangers take pride in her."

"I'll say."

He currently stood on the deck of the Union. Murph ran up to him with a device in hand. "Nema and Arata found a way to communicate with the Union! They say Ben and his team stopped moving for the last little while for some reason!"

"That can't be good. Full speed ahead Murph! Now's our best chance to find them!"

"Aye, aye!"

* * *

Ben and the others were still climbing the metal grid on the wall when they spotted a Pichu hanging onto it.

"Pichu!"

"I got him!" Summer reached over for it to jump onto her arm.

"Look out!" Takumi yelled as he and Ben moved just in time to avoid a trashed Z.Z. Flyer that came down. They pressed onward to the next room. When they got there all the Pokemon that were in there with them hurried past them and kept climbing.

"They must be heading for the exit too." Ben said as Summer put the Pichu they found into her Styler.

"I'm worried about this shaking…It's almost as if we're sliding down a slope on the seafloor." Summer muttered.

"Then let's get out of here before the problem gets even worse!" Ami said.

"Pichu! Pichu!"

Ben looked at his partner. "Worried about the other Pokemon stuck here too pal? It's okay. I saw them following us. If we can reach the exit, we can save them all."

"What if they can't swim?" Palmon asked.

"Summer and I can keep them in our Stylers. Come on, let's go!"

They climbed through another two hallways, before hitting a dead end. "Now what?" Terriermon asked.

"This way." Ben said jumping into a doorway to their right. The others followed.

"Okay, now, where are we?" Takumi asked.

"Pichu…"

"Did you hear that?" Palmon asked.

"Sure did. A Pichu is in here." Ben said. "We gotta find it!"

"There he is!" Ami pointed over to a metal container at the bottom of the room.

"I got him!" Ben jumped down and landed next to it. The Pokemon jumped into his arms. Meanwhile Summer caught glance of a Furret and began a capture as the Pichu conversed.

"Pichu!"

"Pichu! Pichu! Pichu!"

"You okay?" Ben asked.

"Pichu!

"I'll take that as a yes. Come on, let's get out of here." He put the Pichu in his Styler and started climbing up to the others, who started to make their way up to the next room.

"There should be one more." Takumi said.

Summer kept looking up. "Let's find it quickly and get out of here!"

The climbed to the next room. Once there they saw a metal cube with an open end on the side. "Hey…what's that?" Ami asked, walking towards it. I hear…whimpering."

"Pichu!" As soon as she was in front of it, a Pichu ran out and over to Ukulele Pichu.

"Pichu! Pichu! Pichu!"

"The last Pichu!" Takumi said. "Poor little guy. He must have been scared."

Summer picked him up. "You're okay now."

"Finally, we found all the Pichu." Terriermon sighed. "Now we can get out of here!"

"The question is, how?" Ami asked. "Where's the exit?"

"When the Submarine crashed, didn't Blue Eyes say something about a hatch to her crew?" Ben asked. "I bet that's where we came in."

"But will it even open?" Summer asked.

Suddenly the sub started shaking. "Eeeek!" Summer nearly lost her balance before Ben caught her by the arm.

"Okay, this thing is DEFIANTLY sliding down a cliff or something!" Terriermon yelled.

Takumi looked down the doorway they came out of. The water was getting dangerously high. "Trying the hatch beats waiting for the seawater to catch up! Come on!"

Summer put the Pichu in her Styler. "Yeah! Let's hurry! Furret, move that debris out of the way!"

The Pokemon she caught headbutted the object the Pichu was hiding in, so it didn't block the grid on the wall and climbed on ahead. As Everyone followed, they heard steam blasting out of the surrounding pipes. One of them blew hot steam at Ami's face, making her shriek and lose her grip. "KYA!"

"AMI!" Summer caught her by the wrist just in time so she could grab the grid again.

"Thanks Summer."

"No problem."

They made their way out through the next doorway. All the Pokemon in the Submarine were crammed into the top. "Looks like everyone made it out safely." Ben said.

Takumi turned around to see two Pinchers, who had yet to escape. "Look out! It's a ambush!"

"Seriously?!" Ami asked. "You guys want to fight at a time like this?!"

"You're wrong! That's not it!" One of them said.

"In that tremor…Our leader!"

"What's wrong?" Summer asked.

"Look!" Ben pointed to a crate near the Pinchers. They could see a head and a arm sticking out from under it.

"Oh! Blue Eyes!"

"What happened?!" Palmon asked.

"Our leader and the two of us were supposed to leave last, but the Submarine suddenly shook violently when we were escaping.

"That shock sent a crate heading for us! I thought it was all over, but she pushed us out of the way…"

"Our leader sacrificed herself to save us…"

"D-don't…" Everyone's eyes focused on Blue Eyes as she spoke. "You don't have to…tell them that…"

"Hey, hang in there!" Ben said.

"…I'm fine. Just chipped a nail…"

Ben, Summer Takumi and Ami rushed to them. "Oh, the horror." Ami said, rolling her eyes. "You always have to act tough, don't you?"

"Never mind that!" Summer said. "We have to get her out of there!" she turned to the Pinchers as they gripped the crate. "You guys help out, too!"

The Pinchers and Blue Eyes looked surprised. But regardless, the two men nodded. "Of course!"

"…Wait! We're…We're enemies, you now?" Blue Eyes objected.

"At a time like this, there's no such thing." Ben said.

"We can't just leave people behind." Ami said. "That goes against everything we stand for."

"Okay! Here we go!" Summer said. "Ami, get ready to pull Blue Eyes out of there once we lift this thing!"

"Right!"

"Ready, go!" They lifted the box, but it soon came right back down on Blue Eyes before Ami could pull her halfway out.

"Ouch! If you're going to save me, at least be gentle about it…"

"Not a good time for complaints!" Ben said.

"Yeah! The water's rising even as we speak!" Takumi added. "We gotta hurry! Come on, one more time!"

Ben, Summer, Takumi and the Rangers grunted as they lifted the box again. Ami them pulled Blue Eyes as quickly as she could before they dropped it back down.

"We did it!" A Pincher cheered.

"Leader! I'm so glad you're okay. It looks like your wounds aren't as bad as I thought!"

"All right! Now we can finally get out of here!" Terriermon said.

Blue Eyes was at a loss for words. "It looks like you want to say something, but leave it for after we've escaped." Summer said, holding up her hand.

"…Fine."

"There's just one other problem…" One of the Pinchers said. He pointed up where a giant grey shell came out through where the hatch was.

"W-what is that thing?!" Summer asked.

"No idea! Just when the hatch was open and the others got out, that thing came down, blocking it! We can't get out!"

Takumi turned to the Digimon in the group. "Think you guys can push it out?"

"As Gargomon and Togamon, we should have the physical strength. But I don't know how we're going to reach that!"

"We have to try!" Ami said. "So many people and Pokemon are on the line!"

"I agree!" Takumi nodded. "Even if it's hopeless, I at least will know I gave it everything I had!"

Terriermon laughed. "You two…You never change, do you? I mean here we are in a sinking sub, with our chances of making it out to be…bleak at best. I mean, what if the other Pokemon can't swim?"

"Then we can carry them. Ben and Summer can fit them in their Stylers, right?"

"But only seven each." Ben replied.

"It'll work out." Ami smiled.

"You're right." Palmon added. "It always does. Because you two never give up."

Takumi and Ami nodded. Then their Digivices started glowing as they put them on. "Here we go." Ami said.

"Hey…Something feels…different about this light." Terriermon said.

Palmon nodded. "Yeah…"

"Different how?" Takumi asked.

"I dunno. Just…different."

"Well…Here goes."

DIGIVOLUTION

Like usual, a blue screen appeared and when Ami and Takumi touched them, green and yellow light flowed to Palmon And Terriermon and shells of light enveloped them.

"Terriermon, Digivolve to…"

"Palmon, Digivolve to…"

This time when the shells exploded they were different. Terriermon was now this big walrus Digimon with white fur and a horn on his head. Palmon was a flying green plant Digimon with a long tail and a head shaped like a yellow flower.

"Ikkakumon!"

"Sunflowmon!"

"WHOA!" Ben took a step back. "This is different from before!"

Ami was in awe. "They Digivolved into completely different Digimon!"

Takumi looked at his hand. "Could this have something to do with the data Nema installed?"

"Hey, who cares?!" one of the Pinchers asked. "Those things look strong, can't they push that thing out?!"

"We're about to find out. Gargo-I mean Ikkakumon?"

"No problem! And once that thing is clear, Sunflowmon and I can help Ben and Summer carry the Pokemon that can't swim!"

"Alright! Let's-

"Wait a second!"

Everyone turned to Blue Eyes. "What now?" Ami asked.

"Opening the way will give us a chance to escape. Do you still want to do it?"

"Really!? You wasted our already limited time to ask THAT?!" Ben yelled.

"This isn't the time for that!" Summer added.

"If everything that's happened is making you reconsider your choices then feel free to wait for us when we're out of the ocean!" Ami added. "For now, we can't afford to think of ourselves as enemies and allies!"

"If you are a leader, then focus on getting everyone out of here alive!" Takumi scolded. "Look at all the Pokemon here! Let's just worry about giving them the chance to survive!"

Blue Eyes nodded. "I understand." She put on her Aqualung and got on her Z.Z. Flyer. So did her Pinchers. "Whenever you're ready."

Ben and Summer put on their Aqua Lungs. Takumi and Ami nodded before they went over to grab onto Ikkakumon and Sunflowmon. "GO FOR IT!"

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon, shot the horn on his head at the massive shell.

"Sunshine Beam!" Sunflowmon's face glowed as she shot a gold beam at it.

The horn exploded, loosening the shell. Then the beam blew it out of the hatch and water poured in.

"Here we go!" Ikkakumon yelled as he and Sunflowmon charged for the exit with Takumi Ami and a bunch of Pokemon all holding their breaths.

* * *

Takumi and Ami let out a huge gasp when they reached the surface. Ben and Summer soon followed. Pichu was standing on Ben's head, prompting a giggle from Summer as they took their Aqua Lungs off.

"We made it!" Ami gasped. "Thank goodness. Looks like everyone made it out."

"That's all well and good, but we're still stranded in the middle of the ocean." Takumi sighed. "I don't see land anywhere and I don't know if Ikkakumon and Sunflowmon can carry us all the way back from here."

"Yeah…I'm exhausted." Summer sighed. "It's just one crisis after another, huh…?"

Ben chuckled. "Story of my life."

Ami looked around on Sunflowmon, who was slightly hovering above the water. "Hey…where's Blue Eyes?"

"She and her crew got away." Ben replied. "You weren't expecting they'd stick around, were you?"

"Kind of. Guess I got my hopes up."

"Let's worry about ourselves for now." Ikkakumon said. Takumi nodded.

Summer then caught a glance of something up ahead. "Look! Over there!"

In the distance a familiar boat approached. Matayoshi, Date, and Murph stood on the deck. "There ya kids are!" Matayoshi grinned.

"Sheesh, we sent you on a serious mission, and now here you are playing in the water." Date groaned.

"Sorry to interrupt you while you're having fun, but it's time to go home!" Murph laughed.

"Wow! I didn't take Matayoshi for a sailor!" Takumi joked as everyone made their way to the Union. Once Sunflowmon lifted Ikkakumon onboarded, he shook his fur dry like a dog.

"Hey! Don't do that here!" Date yelled as she got wet.

"What are these Pokemon?" Murph asked.

"This is Ikkakumon and Sunflowmon." Takumi explained. "They Digivolved from Terriermon and Palmon."

"Really? I thought they become a big rabbit with pants and a cactus with boxing gloves."

"I don't get it either. I think it has something to do with the data Nema discovered." Takumi scanned his Digimon. "Ikkakumon. Champion Level Vaccine. His sharp horn is made of mithril and the skin under his fur is just as hard."

Ami scanned hers. "Sunflowmon. Champion Level Data. It becomes energetic when it bathes in the sunlight."

Murph scratched his head. "Okay…Still, I'm very glad you're safe!"

"Thanks." Ami smiled. "If you guys hadn't come save us, we'd be really stuck."

"Huh? Save you?" Murph asked. "Me? Murph? I was just practicing so I'd get good at sailing The Union."

"It was just a coincidence?" Summer asked.

Matayoshi laughed. "Just messing with ya kids! Nema was tracking ya with a receiver she made when she was eight. She snuck it in Ben's Styler when she was tinkering with it. Ya wandered pretty far from land so we set of to find you."

"She called and told us that it stayed at the same spot in the ocean for a long time, and we immediately guessed something must have happened." Murph explained.

"How'd she contact you with the Wireless Tower down?" Takumi asked.

"Sanada fixed up a special line for us to send messages." Matayoshi replied. "Only works here because he hooked it up to the Union when he was at Tilt Village while you were taking Blue Eyes to Daybreak."

Ami smiled. "That's Arata. Always thinking."

"Well, thanks." Ben said, wringing out his scarf.

Murph looked around him. "Just wondering…But what's with all the Pokemon?"

"They were held inside the Pincher's submarine." Takumi replied.

"What?!" Date asked yelled as she held up a Marill. "The nerve of those Pinchers! Don't they have any respect for these little guys?! Keeping em cramped up in…Why I oughta!"

"W-would they have done that to me, if you never came?" A meek voice asked. It was then when everyone noticed Lopmon at Date's side.

"Aww, don't worry little guy. You're in good hands."

"You brought Lopmon with you?" Ami asked.

"Yeah. I thought it might help if I had a Digimon around like you kids, and Lopmon offered to come with me."

"Date and you humans helped me." The Digimon said. "So, I want to help you now."

"I see." Ami nodded with a smile.

"So, what happened to those Pinchers?" Murph asked.

"Their leader crashed their Submarine into some rocks and bailed." Ben sighed.

Ami bowed her head. "I'm sorry Matayoshi. We had them by the tail, and they shook us off."

"Well, it's unfortunate that they escaped." The detective replied. "But thanks to you, the submarine they used for a base can't be used anymore. Well done."

"That's amazing!" Murph said. "As a result of your efforts, you managed to mess up their plans!"

"Heh. Well, Ukulele Pichu and his little Pichu friends were a lot of help." Ben smiled as he looked at his partner who was running around the deck with his friends.

"Way to go everyone!" Murph said. "It wasn't perfect, but well done! This is still an excellent Mission Clear!" As Ben and Summer posed, Takumi and Ami shared a high five.

"Hey, what's that?" Date asked looking into the ocean. Everyone glanced at a familiar shell drifting in their direction.

"Isn't that what was blocking the hatch?" Summer asked.

Ikkakumon squinted. "Wait…Isn't that…?"

Suddenly it roes up. Attached to it was a big red body with blue eyes and green hair. "WHOA! W-w-what is that thing?!" Murph asked.

"It's a Shellmon!" Sunflowmon replied. "And it looks angry!"

Ben scanned it. "Champion Level Data Digimon. It has a sturdy shell but a soft body."

"Guys, it's gonna ram the ship!" Ami yelled.

"We gotta stop him!" Ikkakumon ran up and jumped back into the water. Sunflowmon flew after him.

Lopmon ran up to the deck. "Makiko! I'm going too!"

"H-hey, wait a minute, are you sure that's a good idea? That guy's pretty big…"

"But if he hits this ship, you and all the people and Pokemon in it will sink! You helped me when those bad humans attacked, so I have to protect you!"

"…Lopmon…Alright! Let's get this creep!"

"Rrraaaaaaah!"

Suddenly Date's Digivice glowed pink in her pocket. She took it out. "Huh? What's going on?"

Takumi and Ami couldn't believe it. "Th-that's-!"

A blue screen appeared in front of Date. "What's this?" She slowly reached out and touched it.

DIGIVOLUION

The screen turned pink and flashed at Lopmon. "Lopmon Digivolve to…" A shell of light formed around him. It exploded and Lopmon was now a taller purple rabbit with yellow gi, a blue scarf, black shoes, red gloves and metal weapons in his hands. "Turuiemon!"

"Wha-wha-what the heck is this?! Lopmon's grown bigger! This can't be good! Change back!"

"There's no need to worry!" Ami smiled. "Date, you made Lopmon Digivolve!"

"Digivolve?"

Takumi nodded. "Yeah! Your determination made Lopmon stronger!"

Summer scanned the new Digimon. "Turuiemon. Champion Level Data Type. It's a martial artist Digimon wielding the Togaken on both arms."

"Really?" Date asked. "I don't really understand it, but it sounds good! Now let's make soup out of that turtle monster!"

"Right!" Turuiemon made a massive leap off the deck and all the way over to Ikkakumon, landing on his back.

"Hey! What the-

Turuiemon jumped of and towards Shellmon. "Ninja Claw!" He slammed his weapon into it's face. It roared as it stumbled back.

"Who are you?" Ikkakumon asked as Turuiemon flipped back onto his back.

"I am Turuiemon! Makiko's assistant!"

"Wait…Lopmon? You Digivolved?"

Sunflowmon flew over to them as Shellmon groaned in pain. "Ikkakumon, this is our chance!"

"Right. Harpoon Torpedo!"

"Sunshine Beam!"

Both opened fire on the Digimon and it exploded into blue shards. Said shards flew over to Takumi's Digivice. "Alright, they did it!"

Everyone cheered as the Digimon made their way back to The Union. Once they did, they reverted back to their Rookie forms. Date lifted up her Digimon. "Lopmon, that was amazing!"

"It's all thanks to you Makiko!"

"Nice work all of you." Matayoshi smiled. "You saved all the lives onboard this ship."

Ami walked over to her brother. "Hey, Takumi, I bet the data from Shellmon can let our Digimon take other forms!"

"Yeah, let's show it to Arata and Nema!"

"Well then, let's get back to Kyo-Kyo and the others, shall we?" Matayoshi asked. "Murph, if you would."

"Aye, aye!"

* * *

Once they reached Tilt Village, Ben, Summer, Ami, Arata, and Matayoshi got onto the dock. Most of the Pokemon from the Submarine left to find their own habitats.

"Ahh sweet, sweet land, how I missed you so!" Ami smiled.

"It's too soon to relax Ami." Her brother replied.

Matayoshi nodded. "Takumi's right. Even though we stopped Blue Eyes' operations, her group aren't the only Pinchers around."

Ben clutched his fists. "Red Eyes."

"But we have no idea where he is right now." Terriermon said.

Takumi sighed. "If only we had some kind of clue…"

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE YOU IDIOT!"

"WE'VE GOT A BIG PROBLEM!" Murph and Date ran up to the deck.

Matayoshi sighed. "Alright, what is it now?"

"Is Blue Eyes attacking or something?" Summer asked.

Murph shook his head. "I found a hole in the hull of The Union!"

"What?"

"It must have been from when this klutz hit those logs in the water!" Date groaned. "Until we get it fixed it's too dangerous to use the ship!"

Takumi slapped his forehead. "Wonderful. Well, once report this to Rand we'd better get The Union fixed."

"Yeah. That would be really, really great!" Murph said.

"Then can you guys do me a small favor?" Ben asked. "Now that Blue Eyes' team escaped their base, they could be causing problems anywhere for all we know. I want to take Summer and patrol the area for a bit. Can you look after Pichu's friends in the meantime? We'll come back for them when we're done and take them back to Rand's place."

"Yeah, it's too dangerous to take the little guys with you." Date said. "We got it."

"The rest of us will return to Kyo-Kyo and the others." Matayoshi said. "Meet back with us when you can."

"Right. Take care guys."

* * *

**So, I better explain the new Digivolutions. I figured since there are going to be a lot more Pokemon then Digimon in this story, I should try to balance out the variety we see. So I decided to give our heroes access to multiple forms in their Digivolution trees. I'm just giving you all a small taste of it now, but we'll be seeing a lot more of this in the second arc of the story. Speaking of which if I had to guess I'd say we're somewhere between halfway and two thirds though this arc. **


	21. Chapter 21: Worthy Partner

**After escaping the sinking submarine, Blue Eyes escapes again, leaving behind the Pokemon Rangers and Cyber Sluthes to be picked up aboard the Union by Murph, Matayoshi and Date along with the Pokemon they rescued. After defeating a wild Digimon with the help of Date and her Digivolved partner, Ben decides to patrol ****Mitonga Island with Summer. **

* * *

Shortly after they went on their patrol, Ben and Summer found someone who needed their help. A concerned woman who usually feeds snacks to a Mankey was worried about the Pokemon not showing up. And so, they went on a search. On the way towards the Old Mansion, Summer couldn't stop thinking of all Ben had accomplished in her absence. The battles he fought, the Guardian Signs, the friends that helped him…

She wasn't drawn from her thoughts until she bumped into something. She stumbled back and looked up at Ben. He stopped walking and was now looking at her. "Wh-why'd you stop Ben?"

"What's bothering you Summer? You've been quiet this whole time."

Summer hugged herself and looked down. "Ben…I…I'm holding you back, aren't I?"

"Holding me-Summer where is this coming from?" Ben asked. "You're not still upset about being captured by Red Eyes, are you? Because that was my fault more so then yours! I fell into the sea and wasn't there while you had to deal with three Pinchers at once!"

"You fell because you were protecting me! And look at you know! You can summon legendary Pokemon! And not just you, Takumi and Ami's Digimon are getting new powers and I'm just lagging behind! What's so special about me?!"

"Summer…" The conversation was cut off when they heard a cry. "Come on. After this, you and I are gonna have a talk." Ben said hurrying on ahead. Summer followed. They hurried over to the mansion. To the left they saw a Mankey being chased by two Misdreavus.

"Key!"

Summer watched as the Mankey was backed into a corner. "HEY!" The Misdreavus turned around when they saw her charge at them and fire her Styler. After a few quick loops, they calmed down and left. She then ran over to the Mankey. "Hey, are you alright?" She picked it up in her arms. "Aww, you were scared, weren't you? It's okay now."

Ben looked behind him to see the woman that requested their help run towards them. "I couldn't help worrying about Mankey, so here I am…What just happened?"

"We saw your Mankey being chased by two Misdreavus." Ben replied.

"Chased by Misdreavus? I knew the mansion had Misdreavus…"

Summer handed the Mankey to the woman. "Don't worry. We captured them and they left."

"We?" Ben smirked at Summer with his arms crossed. "That was all you Summer."

"Huh? You helped to, didn't you?"

"I didn't even get a chance. That was the fastest catch I've seen you pull."

"R-really?"

"Key!"

The woman looked at the Mankey in her arms. "What is it, Mankey? The Pokemon held up a small gem. "Wow, what a pretty stone! Is that for me?"

The Pokemon smiled. "Key."

"Are you saying this is for the snacks I gave you? Did you risk getting chased by Misdreavus in the mansion for that? You didn't have to…I was so worried something might've happened to you."

"Key…"

"Thank you, Mankey. I'll treasure this pretty stone forever. Let's go back. It's snack time."

"Key!"

The woman put Mankey down, pocketed the stone and looked at the Rangers. "Thank you so much, Rangers. Why don't you join us for a snack? Oh, I only have Mankey food…Sorry."

"It's alright." Summer replied. "We need to keep working around the region anyway."

"Key! Key!"

The lady left with Mankey. Ben then heard a sound and turned around. He saw a rack with a strange blue figure glowing. "Hey, that's…a Guardian Sign!"

Summer looked where Ben was looking. "Huh? I don't see anything?"

Ben traced the figure on the screen of his Styler with his finger. "Rand and the others couldn't either…I wonder why only I can see them? It's weird…"

* * *

"…And so, we decided to go report back here while Ben and Summer go around, making sure the escaping Pinchers aren't causing trouble anywhere." Takumi concluded. He and the others returned to Rand's place and gave their report.

"That explains why you and Ami were soaking wet when you came in." Arata said. As soon as they got inside, Leanne hastily got towels for the twins and their Digimon.

"It sucks that we couldn't stop them from getting away." Ami sighed.

"Maybe, but there was nothing wrong with your decision." Rand said. "I don't know how Cyber Sleuths do things, but saving lives is one of a Ranger's duties. You can always find Blue Eyes again."

"That's true." Takumi nodded. "What about the Union?"

"Oh, that's right. We should ask Booker about repairing the Union. If you need something for a boat, go to Booker. That's common knowledge around Oblivia."

"Okay." Takumi replied. "Once Ben and Summer get back, we'll head there. Before that though, I want to ask Nema and Calumon to look at our Digivices."

"Is this about what you said earlier?" Arata asked. "About you're Digimon taking different forms?"

"Yeah. If we can all access it, we can all use new forms for our Digimon."

"Heh, heh! That does sound exiting!" Tokomon said.

Calumon nodded. "Alright then Nema, time to get to work!"

"Right!"

Agumon watched them as they left. "Of all the Digimon to be stuck here with us…Calumon…"

"What's up?" Takumi asked.

"Calumon in known as the light of Digivolution." Gabumon said. "I think he might also be affecting the data that you used to make Terriermon and Palmon take on new Digivolutions."

"I see…"

* * *

Ben and Summer were walking along Mitonga Road.

"I remember this path…" Summer said. "It was the first time you showed me a Guardian Sign."

"Yeah. It was the first time I called Entei."

A boy with blond hair ran up to them. "Pokemon Rangers! Please help some Jumpluff!"

"Jumpluff?" Summer asked.

"Do you know that there are Jumpluff behind the ruins to the north of here?"

"No. What happened? Are they being attacked? Some kind of fire Pokemon?"

"No…See, there's this lady who's kind of overexcited."

"O…kay? What do you mean by that?"

"She's in a green outfit and keeps saying, "Fantasy!" or something like that, chasing Jumpluff the whole time."

"Wait…" Ben muttered as he and Summer glanced at each other. "A green outfit? That means…"

"I can't look. Please save those poor Jumpluff!"

"Just leave it to us!" Summer said. "Where are they?"

"Thank you, Rangers! The Jumpluff are behind the ruins. You need to go north from here!"

"Let's go!"

Ben and Summer ran up north, towards the back of the ruins. But neither were prepared for what they saw next…A girl Pincher chasing three Jumpluff in a circle.

"Jumpluff! Fantasy! Jumpluff are fabulous! Jumpluff are the fantasy! Jumpluff head and fluffy hands! You make my heart felt!"

Summer raised an eyebrow. "…What?"

Ben blinked. "Yikes…This woman's worse than a Pokemaniac."

"Oh, why do you run away from me? Jumpluff!"

"Hey, you!"

The Jumpluff stopped in their tracks as Ben and Summer approached. The Pincher glanced at them. "Hi, Rangers! What can I do for you? I'm trying to communicate with Jumpluff right now."

"Communicating with them?" Ben asked. "Looks to me like you're trying to pinch them!"

"No, no. I won't even think about taking them from where they belong."

"What?"

"Please leave me and the Jumpluff alone. We were only having fun together. Aren't we, Jumpluff? …Jumpluff?"

The trio of Jumpluff stood perfectly still.

"Wh-what? What's wrong everyone? I thought we were having fun…"

"They don't look so good to me." Summer muttered.

"Er…Rangers? Sorry I treated you like pests. Could you use you your Stylers to cheer up my Jumpluff?"

"I got it!" Summer shot her Styler at the Jumpluff She began to draw her loops around them.

"Jump!" After the first few seconds one of them smiled.

"Pluff!"

"Jumpluff!"

The three Pokemon started to hop.

"There you go!" Summer smiled. "Feeling better, little guys?"

"Thank you, Rangers!" The Pincher glanced at them. "Now, where were we? Oh, I was indulging myself in the Jumpluff fantasy…"

"Hey, wait a minute-

"Stoppp!"

Everyone looked behind them. The boy from earlier stomped over to them. The boy glared at the Pincher.

"What?"

"Pokemon aren't your dolls or toys, you understand? I see that you like Jumpluff, but chasing after them for fun is a little too selfish of you!"

"Jump! Jump!" one of the Pokemon pouted.

"If you won't stop, I'll ask the Ranger to take those Jumpluff away to a safe place!"

"The Jumpluff won't even consider that! They'll understand how I feel about them!" the woman turned to the Jumpluff, but the moment she did so they backed away. The Pincher looked shocked. "…Jumpluff? ..You weren't having fun…with me?"

"I can respect loving Pokemon." Summer admitted. "But you have to respect how they feel towards you. Just like any other living being."

"…You are right. I guess I was wrong. I just felt so overwhelmed by being with these sweet Jumpluff…" the Pincher sighed.

The Jumpluff looked at her for a moment. Then they walked back over to her.

The Pincher was surprised beyond words. "…Jumpluff!"

"Jump! Jump!"

Summer smiled. "Looks like they're willing to give you a second chance."

"Jumpluff, thank you…I'm so sorry I chased you around. I hope someday…We cn watch the sky and clouds pass by together. See you, Jumpluff!

The Pokemon sang. As she left. "Jump! Jump!"

"Rangers, thank you." The boy said. The Jumpluff are so relieved…and maybe even a bit sentimental."

"Jump!" The three ran off in different directions.

"You're pretty mature for a boy your age." Ben grinned.

The boy chuckled as he left. "Thanks."

Ben then glanced at Summer. "You did great. Not only did you help those Jumpluff but that Pincher got a change of heart thanks to you."

"Heh, heh…well, I…Huh? What's that?"

Summer pointed at a rock behind Ben. He turned around to look at it. "Huh? What's what? That rock?"

"What's that light coming from it?"

"What light? I don't see a- Wait…Summer…do you see a Guardian Sign?!"

"That's…a Guardian Sign? But how come I can see it this time and not you?"

Ben looked back at the rock. "What in the world…?"

* * *

Arata was busy at Nema's computer. His, Nokia's, Yuugo's, and Yuuko's Digivices sat at the desk with Fei's currently wired to it along with Takumi and Ami's. "This should do it…There."

Takumi, Ami and Fei took their Digivices back. Just as they did so, Ben and Summer returned with all the Pichu following them. "We're back."

"Good timing." Arata replied. "Just finishing up here. Takumi and Ami filled us in on what happened."

"So, what now?" Ben asked.

"Well first, we need to talk to Booker to fix up the Union." Nokia said.

"Gee, I hope he takes the job. It seems like we've been troubling him a lot."

Rand laughed. "Not only will he take it, I'll bet Booker jumps for joy. You'll learn why soon enough."

"Well also, we need to do something about these Pichu." Matayoshi said.

The Pokemon were dancing around Nokia, Nema, Agumon and Gabumon. "Pichu!"

"Pichuchuu!"

"Picchuu!"

"Pichu!"

"After we talk to Booker, we'll bring them back to Docle Island." Kyoko said. "I'll bring my assistants with us."

"I see." Rand nodded. "Please do that."

"I'm going too!" Nokia said. "I wanna see the little critters off! Booker should have plenty of boats, right?"

"We may not need them." Takumi said. "If Arata's modifications to the Digivice work, I can Digivolve Terriermon to Ikkakumon at will."

"I think I'll come along." Yuuko said. "I'm interested in seeing this."

Arata walked over to them. "I need to make sure my own program works. I'm in."

"If everyone is going I will too." Yuugo added. Fei nodded.

"Alright." Summer smiled. "We're off!"

As they left Summer noticed Ben glancing to the side. "Ben, what's wrong?"

The other Ranger watched Pichu follow his friends. "Pichu found his pals…and now he's heading home…"

Summer's face saddened. "Oh…" She was with Ben the longest. She knew that he spent his entire career without a Partner Pokemon. It never seemed to bother him before, but now…

* * *

"Hey, Booker! Nick!" Takumi waved as they all came in with the Pichu.

"Pichu!"

"Pichu! Pichu!"

"Pichu!

"Pichu!"

Booker sighed before turning around. "What now? What's the racket? Ohh! It's you!" the Pichu surrounded him. "Oh. There, there, I'm so glad you're all right." He smiled patting two of them on the head before turning to another. "And you…And you too…I'm so glad to see y'all safe."

"Thanks to Takumi, Ami, Ben, and Summer." Nokia smiled. "Those jerk Pinchers had them trapped in a Submarine!"

"So the Pinchers did pinch 'em! What a terrible bunch! It's probably been really hard for these Pichu. Did you remember to thank the Rangers an Ukulele Pichu?"

The Pichu smiled at Ben and his friends. "Pichu!"

"Oh, right. Let me introduce you." Ben said. "This is my partner, Summer. And these are Takumi, Ami and Fei's friends, Nokia, Arata, Yuugo, Yuuko, and Kyoko."

"Oh, I see, I see. Ben told me about you Summer. He was pretty worried. Glad to see you're safe."

"Was he really?" Summer asked, looking at Ben, who tried to glance away.

Booker looked back at the Pokemon. "You're all good little Pichu. You've been raised right. I've got a little present for all of you! Ukulele Pichu. Come here a spell."

"Pichu!" the Pokemon skipped over to Booker.

"Let me borrow your ukulele a sec."

Everyone watched Booker take the Ukulele and start working on it. After a few minutes he returned with it. "Here it is!"

"Pichu?" Ukulele Pichu looked at it curiously.

"I've improved the ukulele's response to electric shock. With this, now you can play longer, purtier melodies than before."

Pichu immediately started practicing. "Pichuchuu!"

Ben kneeled to him. "Right on partner!"

"By the way, it looked like someone had been adjusting the ukulele before, but…"

Nick got nervous. "Uh-uh, about that…Actually, I well…"

"Nick gave it a tune up earlier." Ben replied.

Booker nodded. "Looked purty good. I could feel the craftsman's care."

"Boss…"

"Still a long way to go though! Havin' noticeable marks from adjustment's no good!"

Summer sighed. "How strict…"

Ami turned to him. "Don't get down over it, Nick. You did your best!"

"He means well." Kyoko said. "Apprentices don't match their mentors right away. There's no need to rush."

"Well if that's done, we'll be taking the Pichu home." Terriermon said.

"I'll miss 'em all a little, but that's for th' best. Listen now, Pichu. The boat you'll take to Dolce Island's pretty small. Don't get too excited and start roughhousin'. The boat'll tip, and you'll go splash into the ocean."

"Don't worry." Ben smiled. "Not the first boat ride they've been on."

"Well, that ship was really big though." Takumi replied.

Booker glanced at him. "Huh? A big ship in Oblivia?"

Ben snapped his fingers as he remembered. "Oh, right! We also wanted to ask you if you could do us a small favor. See the boat we were using got a hole in the hull and we were wondering if you can fix it."

"I see. Where at?"

"The port in Tilt Village." Yuugo explained. "The ship is called The Union and-

"The Union's in the port in Tilt Village?! Is that the truth? It's really the Union?! Not some hunk o' junk called The Minion or somthin'?"

"Uhhh…"

"I'm not doubtin' you, but I won't believe it until I can see for myself. I'll be back in a minute!" Booker was just about to run out of the house, but he stopped at the doorway. "Forgot somthin'! Don't matter whether it's The Union or some ol' rust bucket, I've got to plug the hole in the hull! I'll need my tools for that." He ran to a table. "Tools, tools…Tools, tools…" he filled his arms with equipment. "Now I'm ready to be fooled! I just can't stand around here! I'll go on ahead." Then he ran out.

"Boss! I'll help too!" Nick hurried after him.

Ben chuckled. "This seems familiar."

"That's a craftsman for you." Summer giggled. "He ran right out of here in a hurry!"

"Well the, shall we be off?" Kyoko asked.

Everyone nodded. They walked outside to where the dock was with the fisherman waiting in his boat. "You got what you need taken care of?"

"Yup." Ben nodded. "We're good to go."

"Great. By the way, when I told you we might not all fit in the boat, you said you had one of your own? Where is it?"

Terriermon walked over to the water as Takumi put on his goggles. A blue screen appeared before his eyes displaying an image of Gargomon and Ikkakumon. He touched the ladder with his finger.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Digivlolve to…Ikkakumon!"

The walrus Digimon splashed into the water. Takumi climbed on with Arata and Yuugo. Ami and Fei then took out her Digivices.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Palmon Digivolve to…Sunflowmon!"

"FanBeemon Digivlolve to…Waspmon!"

Ami climbed on Sunflowmon with Nokia and Kyoko. Fei and Yuuko got on Waspmon.

As Ben and Sumer got in the boat with the Pichu the fisherman was at a loss for words. "…Okay, what?"

"It's a long story sir." Ben said, patting his shoulder. "Let's get going."

"…Right…"

* * *

Sunflowmon and Waspmon were the first to land. Ikkakumon and the boat soon followed.

"Okay! We've arrived at Dolce Island!" the fisherman said as the Digivolved Digimon went back to their Rookie forms.

The Pichu all ran across the beach. "Pichu!"

"Pichu Pichu!"

"Pichu!"

"Picchuu!"

"I'm so glad you made it back to your home, everybody." Summer smiled.

Ben watched Ukulele Pichu join them. "Pichu!" The Pichu then ran off.

"Huh? That was a pretty abrupt good-bye." Summer said.

"What were you expecting, a parade?" Fie asked.

Ukulele Pichu then ran back to them. "Pichu!"

Ben glanced back at him. "Huh? Ukulele Pichu?"

He then turned back to his friends. "Pichu Pichuu!"

"Picchuu!" One by one the Pichu ran back to them. They started nudging at Ben and Summer's feet, pushing them forward. "Piichu Picchuu!"

"What's with them?" Agumon asked.

"Ya got me." Guilmon shrugged.

"What do the Pichu want?" Summer asked. "What are they asking us to do?"

The Pichu lead Ben and Summer deeper into the Island. "Picchu!" Ukulele Pichu signaled the others to follow them before running after them.

"I guess they want us to come along?" Yuugo said before the went after them.

As they walked, Yuuko got a look around the island. "I know this place. This is where I woke up after the experiment."

"Really?" Takumi asked.

"Yes. I saw the Pinchers kidnapping Pokemon here. They heard me and I got surrounded. That's how I wound up captured and met Summer."

"Huh. This is where Ami and I woke up and met Terriermon and Palmon. But we didn't see any Pinchers."

"I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if you two somehow slept through the whole mess." Arata joked. Takumi and Ami blushed a bit as everyone laughed.

Kyoko laughed. "Still, to think the new world Kamishiro Enterprises was researching would be like this. Even if we wound up here by accident, I must say it was fortunate for this experience."

"I agree!" Ami nodded.

Soon they found the Rangers and the Pichu gathered at the tree stump they went to when fetching materials with Nick. The Pichu surrounded Ukulele Pichu.

"Pichu!"

"Picchuu!"

Ukulele Pichu's ukulele made a twang.

"Pichu Pichu Picchu!"

One of the Pichu twirled as it sang. "Picchu Pichu!"

Another one lite up with electricity. "Pichu Pichu Picchu!"

Another jumped. "Picchu Pichu!"

Two jumped past each other, switching places. "Piichuu Pii!" They then jumped back. "ChuuPiichuu!"

Ben and the others smiled as they watched the song and dance.

"PII CHUU!"

Summer giggled. "Oh, you Pichu…No, thank you. Your cheerfulness really helped raise my spirits when we were in the Submarine."

* * *

The Pichu sang and danced for the next few minutes. Soon after Ukulele Pichu looked back at them. "Pi…Pichu!"

Ben sighed. "It's been fun…partner."

Summer looked sadly at him. "Having Ukulele Pichu with you must have really made you realize what it means to have a Partner Pokemon."

Ben didn't respond.

"Pichuu!" The other Pichu then headed off as Ukulele Pichu walked back to Ben and Summer.

"Ukulele Pichu? You're not going with them?" Ben asked.

Nokia smirked at him. "Don't you get it Ben? Ukulele Pichu IS your Partner Pokemon."

"Pichu Picchu!" the Pokemon jumped onto Ben's shoulder. The Ranger didn't know how to react at first. "Hey, Pichu? If you want to stay here, I understand. You've always been with these Pokemon, and the reason why you came with me in the first place was to save them."

"Pichhu Pichu Picchu!" the Pokemon shook its head.

"Isn't that great Ben?" Summer grinned.

Ben smiled. "Pichu…Thank you."

Pichu played his Ukulele the whole trip back.

* * *

When everyone returned to Renbow Island Ralph ran up to them the moment they got off the dock.

"Heey! Rangers!" the boy ran over to them. "Huff…Puff…I finally found you!"

"Hi Ralph!" Ben waved. "It's been a while. What's up?"

"I was asked to give you this letter!" Ralph handed Ben an envelope with "Rangers and Cyber Sleuths" written on it.

Summer's held her hands behind her back as she glanced over Ben's shoulder. "It's addressed to us, but I wonder who it's from?"

"A pretty lady with blue eyes!"

Everyone looked at Ralph in surprise. "What?" Yuugo asked. "It can't be…Blue Eyes? But why?"

"Come on Ben! Hurry up and read it!" Nokia said.

"Alright, alright." Ben opened the envelope. "The fact that you are reading this letter means you survived as well. I'll tell you why I crashed the Submarine. There was a wireless transmission then, right? It was about me being demoted from leader. Because of things like being caught by you at the Old Mansion and the constant delays to our plans. Plan Z, where I crashed the Submarine, was me taking out my frustrations about feeling betrayed. I caused you all a lot of trouble by involving you. I'd like to give you my apologies and thanks."

"Huh. How about that." Arata shrugged. "She has a conscious after all."

Takumi looked at the letter. "Hey, I think there's more written on the back."

Ben flipped it over. "Finally, I'll tell you this one thing: Red Eyes is heading to Faldera Volcano. I hope that this makes us even. Blue Eyes."

"What? Red Eyes is heading toward Faldera Volcano?" Summer asked. "But…I wonder where Faldera Volcano is…"

"In the southern part of Oblivia, there is an island called Faldera Island." Ralph explained. "The volcano on that island is Faldera Volcano. I don't think you can get there without a big ship though. Well, I'm going to go! See you!"

"Thanks, Ralph!" Takumi waved as the boy left.

"A big ship, huh?" Fei asked. "We'll defiantly need the Union. Let's hope it doesn't take too long to fix that hole."

"First things first." Kyoko said. "Let's report back to Matayoshi and Rand."

* * *

"So, the Pinchers' next objective is Faldera Island…" Rand said.

"It seems that way." Kyoko replied.

"A volcano…" Leanne pondered. "From what I'm given to understand Moltres tends to go heal itself in the lava of volcanos to heal its wounds."

"Moltres? Isn't that the Pokemon the Pinchers are after for this Ancient Gate?" Palmon asked.

"So Red Eyes is making his move to go after Moltres." Matayoshi said. "We need to act fast."

"Of course." Ben said. "But there is one thing I want to talk about before we go. It happened when Summer and I were on patrol." Everyone's eyes were on Ben as he spoke. "According to all of you, only I can see the Guardian Signs."

"Right." Takumi nodded.

"I found another on patrol and I could see it but not Summer, same as always…But later on Summer said she saw a Sign, but I couldn't see it."

"WHAT?!" everyone looked at the female Ranger.

"Is that true, Summer?" Rand asked.

"Yeah. A glowing figure on a rock."

Ben turned to two of his friends. "Nema, Arata, can you hook up Summer's Styler with the Sign mode so we can test this out?"

"Sure." Nema nodded.

* * *

Outside the house, Summer looked at her updated Styler.

"Do you remember what the Sign looked like?" Ben asked.

"Of course."

"Then just draw in with your Styler."

"Okay…here goes." Summer shot her Styler and drew the shape she envisioned. Then in a burst on light, three Jumpluff appeared.

"What are those?" Ami asked.

"These are the Jumpluff from before!" Summer said.

"Unbelievable…" Takumi said. "Summer, you did it! You summoned a Pokemon with the Guardian Sign!"

Ben showed Summer the screen on his Styler, showing another shape. "This is the Sign I saw earlier. Try it next."

"Okay…" Summer drew the Sign with her Styler. But nothing happened. She tried again. Nothing.

Then Ben drew it and it glowed. "Go, Guardian Sign! Mankey, come forth!" In a flash, a Mankey appeared.

"That's the Mankey we saved." Summer said.

"It looks like Summer and I can only use the Signs we see."

"That's still helpful though." Takumi grinned. "We can get reinforcements in a flash!"

Ben turned to Summer. "This is amazing Summer! And I bet it's just what we need to take down Red Eyes!"

Ben's partner nodded.

"Alright!" Ami cheered. "Let's do this! To the Union!"

Rand smiled. "I'm counting on you."

Ben, Summer, Takumi, Ami, Arata, Nokia, Fei, Yuuko and Yuugo went for Tilt Village.

* * *

**Remember how I promised at the start of this story that Summer would be doing more then the game originally had her do? Well aside from actually taking part of battles that includes giving her Guardian Signs. And before any of you ask, yes, she'll get legendries as well.**


	22. Chapter 22: Acending the Volcano

**After discovering that Summer also possesses the ability to use Guardian Signs like Ben and returning the pinched Pokemon to Dolce Island****, the team recives a letter from Blue Eyes, revialing the whearabouts of Red Eyes. Our heroes return to the Union to cross the sea over to ****Faldera Island where the legendary Pokemon Moltres suposibly sleeps. **

* * *

Upon arriving at Tilt Village, Ben and his friends immediately went for the docks. They were just in time to see Booker and Nick exit the boat. Murph and Date were close by.

Booker seemed pleased with himself. "So, this is what bein' overcome with emotion is like. I never would've dreamed I'd see The Union like this again."

"I'm so happy for you, boss…" Nick smiled.

Murph glanced at the others. "Hey, welcome!"

"These two patched up The Union in no time." Date smirked. "She's as good as new! We can set sail anytime."

"Thanks guys." Takumi smiled. "Sorry this came out of the blue."

"Twas nothin'" Booker smirked. "I looked The Union over from stem to stern, and I could tell that evryone'd taken great care of her. A stain from a juice spill is nothin'."

Ben smirked at Murph who looked away, whistling.

"Please keep takin' such good care of her."

Nokia giggled. "Wow, Booker! You sound like you're talking to a kid of yours!"

"Well, of course!" Nick smiled. "The truth is, when he was younger, my boss built The Union!"

Nobody could hide their surprise. "R-really?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, but so what if it is?" Booker shrugged.

"First the giant bridge now this." Fei said. "You're quite somthin' old man. No wonder Rand put's so much faith in you."

"What else did you build around here?" Ben asked.

"Boss also made Tilt Village's windmills." Nick said. "More importantly, my boss made almost everything in Oblivia that is made of wood. It's not a lot, but there are even a few things I made."

"Y'all have probably crossed bridges with the same design as Nick's striped shirts." Booker added. "They're uneven, got some gaps, but they're fairly sturdy. He's got the makings of a decent craftsman. More importantly, Nick! What was that terrible work just now? Hurry back. We're doin' drills with the saw."

Everyone watched Booker storm off. "Boss!" Nick hurried after him. "My arm muscles are so sore!"

"Sheesh. No wonder, Nick's such a nervous wreck." Terriermon grumbled.

"Well, at least the boats' fixed." Arata said. "That didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would."

"Booker's an amazing craftsman!" Murph said. "He's strict, but he has a passion for woodwork. Thanks to him, we can set sail on The Union whenever we want! So how about a leisurely sightseeing cruise?"

"No time for that!" Ben said. "We need to get to Faldera Volcano!"

Date turned to him. "A volcano? Why?"

"Did something happen?" Lopmon asked.

"That's where Red Eyes is heading!" Takumi said. "We've got to hurry!"

"Red Eyes?" Date asked. "That creep that kidnapped Yuuko and Summer? Why didn't you say so sooner?! I'm looking forward to putting that punk behind bars!"

Murph clapped his hands. "Okay! So off for Faldera Volcano on the newly repaired Union! All are board!" Everyone stared at Murph awkwardly. Ben snickered, and Summer giggled. "…I mean, all aboard!"

"If there's one thing yer' good at, it's removing the tension in a room." Fei said.

* * *

It took roughly half an hour, but the team reached the distant island and landed. "So, this is Fladera Volcano." Summer said looking around.

"Yikes, it's hot here!" Nokia said fanning herself.

"Huh. It's almost like we're near a volcano or something." Arata scoffed.

"Smart alick."

"Let's just go." Ami said. "We have to find Red Eyes before he gets to Moltres."

"Mission on!" Ben and Summer posed.

"If I had to guess, Moltres might be at the peak of the Valcano." Takumi said. "It would be the best place for a bird to land where nobody was around."

"Good deduction, detective." Ben smirked. "Let's go!"

"Hold up! Aren't you kids forgetting something?" To everyone's surprise, Date and Lopmon caught up to them.

"Detective Date?" Summer asked. "You're coming too?"

"Of course, I am! I've got a partner Digimon to, in case you've forgotten! We're gonna wipe the smug grin right off his face!"

"I won't forgive him for upsetting Date!" Lopmon yelled jumping up and down.

"Thanks." Yuugo smiled. "We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"You can say that again!" Two Pinchers descended the uphill path. A man with a Torchic and a girl with a Phanpy. "So, you managed to make it all the way here, Rangers!"

"We won't let you interfere with our plans, Cyber Sleuths! Pokemon! Smash them!"

"So, who want's first crack at em?" Ben asked.

Arata smirked. "I'll give it a go. I want to try out the modifications to my Digivice."

"I'll give mine a try as well." Yuugo added.

"Not so fast!" Nokia grinned. "You boys aren't hogging all the fun!"

Yuuko and Fei smiled and nodded. Everyone took out their Digivices.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Keramon Digivole to…Wizardmon!" Arata's Digimon became huminout with blue skin, a gold staff and a pointy hat.

"Hagurumon Digivolve to…Clockmon." Yuugo's Digimon was a clock shaped robot with a red man holding a hammer popping out.

"Agumon Digivolve to…Meramon!" Agumon became a human shaped Digimon made of fire.

"Gabumon Digivolve to…Frigimon!" Nokia's other partner was now a snowman Digimon.

"Guilmon Digivolve to…Growlmon!" Yuuko's partner looked like a taller version of its rookie form with white hair.

"FanBeemon Digivlolve to…Raptordramon!" Fei's Digimon was not a dragon with silver armor and yellow fur.

"Heh. As cool as these new Digivolutions are…" Takumi grinned. "I think we'll go for the classics!"

Ami smiled. "Same here!"

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Digivolve to…Gargomon!"

"Palmon Digivolve to…Togamon!"

Date cracked her knuckles. "Okay, ready to roll partner?"

"Yeah!"

DIGIVOLUTION

"Lopmon Digivolve to…Tururiemon!"

Arata smirked at the gaping Pinchers. "You feeling lucky?"

The two of them glanced at the evolved Digimon and then their much smaller Pokemon. "Uhhh…Probably should have brought some bigger Pokemon."

"Get em, Wizardmon!"

"Thunder Cloud!" Arata's Digimon shot blue lightning at the Torchic, knocking it out.

"Chrono Breaker." The clock on Clockmon glowed green and a bright flash hit Phanpy, knocking it back.

The Pinchers backed away. "You're stronger than…No, you're not weak…Well, luck is a big part of competition."

"Quit being ridiculous, and get back to the submit! But, make sure you do it after activating that device!" The Pinchers boarded their Z.Z. Flyers and fled.

"So the Pinchers are already here…" Yuugo said. "We need to hurry."

Suddenly the whole ground shook. Summer and Nokia screamed as they nearly fell over. "What was that? An eruption?" Yuuko asked.

"Come on!" Ben ran on ahead and the others followed. They went up hill to a wide open area.

"Hey, look!" Ami pointed to a flow of lava moving down the hill. It was coming from one of two holes above them and both flows were blocking the upper path leading further in. The Pinchers were hovering just above it.

"Ah ha, ha, ha, ha! Even Rangers and Sleuths can't cross molten lava!"

"I can outfox anybody! If you want a piece of me, come over here and get it!" They then flew off.

"Great." Arata groaned. "It's right in our way!"

"That's not the only problem." Yuugo added. "The lava could be a threat to any people and Pokemon inhabiting this island."

"I'll say! Look over there!" Nokia pointed at a scared Donphan, strapped behind the lava with its back against a wall.

Summer turned to Ben. "We have to do something to stop that lava flow!"

Ben nodded. "But how…?"

Summer then saw a Phanpy hiding in a corner nearby. Then she looked back at the hole the lava came out of. There was a large rock sitting next to it. "Hang on!" Summer ran over to the Phanpy and calmed it with her Styler. She then ran over to the rock. With a single order, it shoved the rock in front of the hole, plugging up the hole. "Okay! We're good to go!"

"Good thinking, Summer!" Ben smirked.

"Thanks!" Summer released the Phanphy and looked at the second flow. There was a rope ladder leading to a bigger rock she could drop onto the flow. "But we're gonna need something with more power to stop the second one."

Ben looked at the Donphan that happily ran up to him, grateful for being saved. "I think we have a volunteer." The Donphan rammed into the bolder off the cliff and it landed in front of the hole.

"Thanks!" Ben waved as it jumped off the cliff and walked away. "Alright, let's hurry on ahead. Another rope ladder brought them further up the mountain. The Pinchers saw Ben and Summer come up first. The others followed one by one.

"To be honest, I'm impressed…I can't believe you stopped that lava flow."

"At this point, we have no choice but to use our secret weapon…"

"Is your secret weapon by any chance running like cowards?" Arata asked.

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean-Gah! They're onto us! Secret weapon, go! RUN!"

"But, if we just run, we're nothing but cowards!" the female Pincher objected. "You, Pokemon perfectly suited for a volcano, don't let them get any further!"

Four Charmeleon stormed down the mountain. Four Numel followed them.

"Aye. That's a lot of them." Date groaned.

"We need to do something about those Pinchers or they'll just keep coming." Takumi said. "Ben! Summer! You two make a break for them, and we'll slow down the Pokemon!"

"Alright!" Gargomon said. "CHAAAAAAAARGE!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Digimon and their partners stormed forward, battling the Pokemon. "Do you think they'll be okay?" Summer asked.

"I'm sure they will." Ben replied. "Come on. We need to do our own part."

Ben and Summer ran as fast as they could past the Pokemon, dodging flames as they did so. They made their way up the hill and over to the Pinchers.

"Got you now!" Summer yelled.

"Not even that worked…" the female Pincher mumbled.

The other one turned around. "Okay, no more bluffing. This time, we'll just plain run away!"

"Think we'll just let you?!" Ben rushed towards them.

"…Or so it seemed! Take this!"

"Huh?!" A Charmeleon and a Numel jumped over the Pinchers and spewed fire at Ben, who yelped as he was sent back. His Styler Energy took the hit for him. "Arg! They still had more!"

"No problem!" Summer said, aiming her Styler. "Capture on!"

Ben and Summer began their capture, but they had trouble looping the Stylers around them while avoiding flames at the same time.

"Pichu!" Ben's partner jumped off his shoulder and started playing its ukulele. As he did, sparks formed around him, slowing the Pokemon down.

"NOW!" Ben and Summer charged their Stylers and then continued their loops and both Pokemon were successfully caught. Then they left the Pinchers to fend for themselves.

"We did everything we could, but nothing worked…It looks like our only option left is to run."

"I was waiting for those words!"

The Pinchers fled on their Z.Z. Flyers.

After that Takumi and the others caught up. "Sorry we took so long. What happened to the Pinchers?"

"They ran." Summer sighed. "Or rather, they flew."

"This is bad." Yuuko said. "If they alert Red Eyes, we'll lose the element of surprise."

"Then all we can do is hurry." Ami said. "Let's go!"

They continued down the path. "Hey…Is it just me, or has it gotten quieter?" Date asked.

"It could be that-Look out!" Tururiemon jumped and caught a flying Makuhita that nearly rammed into Date.

"Hey, what's the big idea, pal?!" Date growled. "Want me to arrest you?!"

"You want to arrest a Poke-

"KUH!" Before Ben could finish speaking, the Pokemon ran away.

"What was that about?" Wizardmon asked.

"Hey, look!" Growlmon pointed ahead and everyone saw a mysterious pink creature with grey horns, red eyes and red sickle hands. It stood on an unconscious Golem.

"What the heck is that?!" Gargomon asked.

Meramon looked closely. "Wait…Don't tell me…Can it be…?"

Frigimon trembled. "No…It can't be…What's he doing here?!"

Nokia looked at them. "A-Agumon? Gabumon? What's wrong?"

The Digimon brought its attention to them. "Digi…mon! Must eat more!" It hissed as it charged with alarming speed.

"Look out!" Ben ran in front of them and aimed his Styler, but the Digimon ran past him, ignoring he was there and charged at Tururiemon, who barley blocked its sickles with his own weapons in time. Then with alarming speed, it swiped at Tururiemon who screamed as he was knocked back into his rookie form.

"Lopmon!" Date ran up to her unconscious partner.

The others were in disbelief. "With one hit?!" Takumi yelled.

"Exhaust Flame!"

"Thunder Cloud!"

Growlmon and Wizardmon shot fire and electricity at the Digimon, but it held it sickles in a cross, blocking the attack.

Raptordramon charged towards it with her fangs glowing red. "Ambush Crunch!"

The Digimon turned around to face it. "Soul Absorption." One of its sickles stretched out, slamming into Raptordramon. She howled in pain before dropping to the ground in her Rookie form.

"FanBeemon!" Fei was running for her partner when the Digimon rushed at them.

"Fei, Look out!" Summer ran in front of her. The Digimon stopped but hissed as it jumped up and kicked the Ranger aside. Before it could do more, Gargomon came from behind.

"Dum Dum Uppercut!" He rocketed his fist upward, sending it flying.

Nokia turned to her Digimon. "Alright, guys, let's go!"

"Sub-zero, Ice Punch!" Frigimon's punch sent a blast of cold wind, freezing the Digimon in a coat of ice while in mid-air before it hit the ground.

"Awesome! You're turn Meramon! Finish him!"

Takumi turned wide eyed at her. "Nokia, wait!"

"Burning Fist!" Meramon's hands glowed before sending fire ball with each of its three punches. But all the attack did was thaw the Digimon out of its icy prison.

Nokia blinked. "Uh…opps."

"Ya didn't score high in chemistry, huh?" Fei asked.

Arata groaned into his hand. "Idiot. Alright, Wizardmon! Go back to your Rookie form! We're going to have to change our tactics! Yuugo, Yuuko, you two should do the same!"

The siblings nodded as Growlmon, Clockmon and Wizardmon Dedigivolved.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Keramon Digivolve to…Kurisarimon!"

"Guilmon Digivole to…GeoGreymon!"

"Hagurumon Digivolve to…Guardromon."

As three new Champions came out, they charged at the Digimon.

"Needle Spray!"

"Data Crusher!"

Togamon and Kurisarimon shot needles and spiked tentacles at it, but it moved around them with shocking speed.

"D-Grenade."

"Mega Burst!"

The Digimon jumped over the next attackes and slammed into Guardromon, knocking it back.

"Darn it!" Ben growled. "There's gotta be something we can…Wait…That's it! Nokia!"

"Yeah?"

"What you had your Digimon do to it just now! Do it again!"

"Huh?! But all that did was make him a bit wet!"

"Exactly!"

"Huh?"

GeoGreymon rammed its skull against the Digimon, but it blocked the attack with its hands before flipping him over.

"Sub-zero Ice Punch!"

A blast of ice hit it from behind, freezing it again.

"Meraman!"

"Nokia, what are you doing?!" Arata yelled. "That's not going to work!"

"Burning Fist!" Meramon threw more hot flames at the Digimon immediately thawing it.

"There, see?! All that did was waste energy and time!"

"Stuff it, geek! Get em, Pichu!" Nokia ordered.

"PiiiiiCHUUUUUUU!" Ben's partner shot a thunder bolt at it. The Digimon tried to move away, but Pichu still hit the puddle of water that lead to a trail that it left, and it was electrocuted. After a long, loud zap it dropped to its knees.

"Nice one partner!" Ben smirked.

Meramon ran at it. "We gotta finish him! Now!" He jumped up and rushed his fist towards his target. But it jumped out of the way just in time and leapt off a cliff down the mountain. Meraman ran over to the edge of the cliff and looked down, but it was nowhere to be seen. "Darn it! He got away!"

Ben looked at the others. "Is everyone okay?"

"I think so." Ami replied. "I've never seen such a Digimon. And my Digivice couldn't identify it. What was that?"

Meraman was still looking down the cliff as he spoke. "That was a Digimon known as Arcadiamon."

Yuuko's eyes widened. "Arcadiamon?!"

"Wait, what?!" Gargomon gaped. "I thought Arcadiamon was just a myth!"

"I assure you he's no myth." Frigimon replied. "We faced him ourselves as Omnimon a long time ago."

"Wait, hold up." Takumi said. "What's this about?"

"Long ago in the Digital World someone planned on creating the ultimate Digimon." Maremon explained. "So, data from various species of Digimon were used to bring life to a Digimon that could evolve beyond anything ever before brought into creation."

"And that's this Arcadiamon?" Summer asked.

"That's right. But Arcadiamon was dangerous and uncontrollable. It started draining data from other Digimon and grew at a frightening rate. Soon it was a threat to all Digimon. So, all the Royal Knights banded together to face him."

"Royal Knights?" Date asked. "Are they the top dogs in the Digital World?"

"The Royal Knights are supper famous!" Lopmon said. "They're the greatest guardians of the Digital World and were selected by King Drasil himself the maintain order!"

"Wow." Ben replied. "You make this guys sound like the legendary Pokemon of Digimon."

"Fun fact!" Nokia grinned. "Agumon and Gabumon? They combine into Omnimon! One of the Royal knights themselves!"

"Really?"

"That's right." Frigimon nodded. "But even with all of the Royal Knights and their forces working together we were barley able to fend of Arcadiamon. Many brave Digimon lost their lives…"

Ami looked down. "How horrible…"

"In the end we were able to reconvert him into a Digi-Egg. But like all Digimon we knew he would reconfigure. So, the Royal Knights decided to appoint one of their most powerful soldiers to take Arcadiamon and seal him far away. In a world we found where data entities like us could exist. I'm sure you know what I'm getting at here."

Yuugo looked up in surprise. "EDEN."

Meramon turned to Arata. "Arata…If we did not loss our memories, we would have stopped Nokia from going to Under Zero. And you would not need to relive that horrible experience. We're truly sorry."

"What are you-

"Please understand that Knightmon did what he had to do. If you and your friends accessed Under Zero, it would have brought calamity to your world."

Arata then figured it out. "No way…That guy…He was guarding Arcadiamon?! You sealed him in Under Zero?!"

"Yes. That is why he did not show mercy. If Arcadiamon got out-

"He already did." Everyone turned to Yuuko as she spoke. "Ryuji Mishima, the leader of a Hacker Team called Hudie was corrupted by him and went on a rampage. What happened in Under Zero must have weakened that seal. Or maybe it was because of Crusadermon breaking the wall between our worlds."

Arata was in shock. "What?! Ryuji?!" Then he thought back. _"Wait, that's right! That weird Digimon that was with him when Keisuke and I fought him…Wormmon called it Arcadiamon!"_

"So, what's Arcadiamon doing here?" Takumi asked.

"He's most likely trying to restore himself to full power." Frigimon replied. "To do that he needs to absorb data."

"Know it make sense." Ben said. "He didn't go after the Pokemon he defeated and during the fight just now he seemed to just be ignoring me and Summer. He actively went for you guys, because right now you're all data."

"So at least that means he's not dangerous to people and Pokemon." Summer added.

"Maybe." Takumi replied. "But there are still other Digimon stranded here."

"That's not all." Meramon said. "What we fought just now was only his Rookie form!"

"Wait, what?!" Ami gapped. "That was just a Rookie level?! We had eight Champion Level Digimon on our side and we still struggled to beat him!"

"Yeah…If we see him again, we can't let him get away."

"Well…" Ben sighed. "Not much we can do about him now. We'll keep our eyes peeled, but for now we have other dire issues to tend to."

"Right." Yuugo nodded. "We need to stop Red Eyes. Arcadiamon will have to wait. Fei, Date, you two should head back. Your Digimon are in no state to fight."

"What?!" Date growled. "You expect me to leave while you-

"Tending your Digimon's injuries comes first." Ben said.

The detective's face softened, and she sighed. "Good point. Alright, but don't do anything reckless or I'll arrest you for it later!"

"I hate to say it, but it looks like I'm powerless here." Fei muttered. "Give it to him good for me."

"Will do!" Ben replied. "Let's go!"

* * *

**And there you have it. With new heroes in the story we also get a new enemy. In Hackers Memory Keisuke and his team went up against Arcadiamon so now it's the Cyber Sleuths turn to deal with it. Oh, and that stuff about Arcadiamon being the "ultimate Digimon" made with other Digimon? Something I found on its Digimon wiki entry.**


	23. Chapter 23: Rise of the Phoenix

**After their encounter with the vicious Arcadiamon, the team pressed deeper into ****Faldera Volcano, despite letting the dangerous Digimon escape. For their immidiate attentions still lies with Red Eyes, who continues his operation to awaken Moltres. Our friends waste no time persuing the leader of the Pokemon Pinchers, to put an end to his plans.**

* * *

As Ben, Summer, Takumi, Ami, Yuuko, Yuugo, Arata, Nokia and their Digimon ascended the volcano they were greeted by a blast of heat. "Yikes! It's even hotter up here!" Nokia said. "Frigimon, make sure you don't melt!"

"We must be getting close." Takumi looked around. "Nokia, you might be better off with Greymon and Garurumon. Meramon and Frigimon won't do much if we encounter more fire Pokemon."

"Aww, I was starting to like their new forms. *sigh* oh well." Nokia held up her Digivice and Meramon and Frigimon became Agumon and Gabumon again.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Agumon Digivolve to…Greymon!"

"Gabumon Digivolve to…Garurumon!"

"Alright." Ben looked ahead. There was a river of lava in front of them. Then he noticed a rock big enough to act as a bridge for two pieces of land. "Hey, Greymon, can you push that into the lava?"

"No problem!" Greymon rammed his skull into the bolder and it fell in.

The team crossed the bridge and saw a Shelgon. Two more were coming out of a nearby cave. "Oooh. Dragon Type Pokemon." Summer said. "They're said to be the strongest, but harder to catch. They might come in handy."

"Then let's catch them!" Ben said. "Race ya!"

"Hey, no fair!"

Takumi and the others laughed as Ben and Summer ran on ahead. "Those two are pretty excited." Takumi said.

Ami giggled. "Yeah."

Arata rolled his eyes. "Pots calling the kettles back."

"Huh?"

Yuuko smiled. "Arata's right. They do seem a lot like you."

"Do they?" Takumi asked.

After a couple of minutes Ben and Summer came back. "That cave doesn't lead anywhere. Let's go look for another route."

"Right."

They went back down the makeshift bridge they came and went along the side of the path. Then they found another rock plate at the edge of the lava. A much bigger one. "Wow. That might be a little too big." Greymon said. "Even for me."

Yuuko turned to her Digimon. "GeoGreymon, can you help him push?"

"Certainly."

"One of our Shelgon can help to." Ben said. "Okay, everyone ready?"

"PUSH!" Shelgon, Greymon and GeoGreymon rammed their heads against it and it slowly moved into the lava.

"Alright!" Nokia cheered. "Teamwork!"

"Thanks, Shelgon!" Ben waved the Pokemon off.

"Alright let's go!"

"N-Nokia! Don't run too far ahead!" Takumi yelled.

His warning was ignored and Nika went towards another cave entrance. "EEEEEEEEK!" Just as she was about to enter a Torchic and a Combusken chased her out and two Pinchers came out of the cave with them.

"Hey, Rangers! Cyber Sleuths! Playtime's over!"

"Did you make a lot of nice memories in Oblivia?"

"Let's top off your trip with bitter tears!"

Arata glanced at Takumi. "Is it just me, or are these guys getting more and more chatty?"

"Let's shut em up then. Gargomon!"

"Ripping Net!" Gargomon shot a blast of electricity at the Torchic, knocking it down. Combusken jumped up at GeoGreymon and kicked his head, knocking it back.

"D-Grenade." Guardromon shot two rockets from his arms at the Comusken, but it landed on one of them and jumped off over the next. It was now right over Guardromon.

"Nanomachine Break." The robot uppercutted it, flinging it into the air. It landed next to Torchic.

"Shelgon!" On Summer's order her Pokemon shot blue flame at both Combusken and Tochic, before she completed her capture. Happy to be free, they ran away.

One of the Pinchers backed away. "Th-these guys…"

The other stepped back as well. "The speculation was really true…"

"They are way out of our league…" They flew away on their Z.Z. Flyers.

"That's the end of that." Ben said. "Now let's get going!"

"We're going right inside a volcano." Yuugo said. "We'd better be careful."

* * *

Back on The Union, Murph wrapped a bandage around Lopmon's small arm. "There you go! Good as new!"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I may not look it, but I always wanted to be a doctor. Plus used to be a Ranger myself."

Fei looked sceptical. "Really? You?"

"Yup. So, I know all the first aid stuff a Ranger would. Well, it's more meant for Pokemon, but Digimon can't be that different."

Date walked over to her Digimon. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Hey guys…Why are the Pinchers so bad?"

"Huh? Well, they kidnap and abuse Pokemon…"

"I know, but why do they do it?"

"Oh. Ummm…Can't say I know. Why are you asking this all the sudden?"

Lopmon looked down. "I don't understand. There are people like you. And then there are people like them. What are humans?"

"Well…Humans are like snowflakes." Murph said. "No two are the exact same."

"It's really not that much different from you Digimon at the end of the day." Fei added. "Or Pokemon for that matter."

"I think it has to do with the things people went through in the past." Date said. "Matayoshi once told me that the things we experience make us who we are now."

"That makes sense." Murph nodded. "I mean let's look at Ben and Summer and Takumi and Ami. They are kinda similar. So, what if Takumi and Ami were born in this world and Ben and Summer yours? Maybe they would be living each others lives right now."

Fei sighed. "This is getting out of hand. But…I guess it make sense to feel that way."

* * *

After going deeper into the volcano and dealing with a minor obstacle, the team found themselves in front of a Pincher with a Tyranitar. "Great work getting this far, but I can't let you go any farther. Your opponent's Tyranitar!"

Yuugo scanned it with his Digivice. "A Rock/Dark Type Pokemon. Overwhelmingly powerful and can even change the landscape."

The Pokemon roared as it approached. "Wow! Big sucker!" Gargomon pounded his fists. "Let's get him!"

Ben looked up and saw rocks coming down. "MOVE!"

They scattered out of the way before Ben and Summer launched their Stylers. Tyranatar roared and dark waves formed on the ground. They managed to guide them around while drawing loops around the Pokemon before they were swiped with its tail. "Man. That thing's tough." Ben growled.

"Dum Dum Uppercut!"

"Wolkenpalm!" Gargomon and GeoGreymon rammed their palms into Tyranitar, but it was only slightly knocked back.

"Hyper Beam!" On the Pincher's orders it shot a massive laser at them that blew the two Digimon away.

"Guys, we need better type matchups!" Summer said. "Fire attacks are no good. It's a Rock and Dark type so we need stuff like Grass, Fighting, Ice or Water based attacks!"

Ami looked at her partner. "Grass…" Togamon!"

"Way ahead of ya! Crescent Leaf!" Togaman threw a punch with her fist glowing green. Tyranitar knocked back.

Ben pulled back his Styler. "Summer! Secret weapon time!"

"Okay!"

Ben and Summer drew patterns on the floor.

"Go, Guardian Sign! Mankey, come forth!"

"Go, Guardian Sign! Jumpluff come forth!"

Ben's light formed a monkey Pokemon. Summer summoned three Jumpluffs. The Pincher was shocked. "W-where did those come from?!"

"Sleep Powder!" Summer's Pokemon shot green dust at Tyranitars eyes. It looked annoyed at first, then it fell asleep.

"Mankey, Karate Chop!"

Ben's Pokemon jumped up and gave Tyranitar a hand chop to the head, knocking it down on its belly.

Summer completed her capture. "Phew! That was not easy!"

"Latter, you'll surly regret not losing here!" the Pincher ran past them and towards the exit.

"Come on! We can't be far!" Ben said pointing to a nearby staircase. They hurried up it, but Ben stopped them and laid down.

"What are you doing?" Nokia asked.

"Shhh! Look. It's Red Eyes."

Everyone got down, on the stairs and peeked over the top. Red Eyes was with two Pinchers in front of a stone tablet. "L-Leader? It looks like a dead end. Are you sure this is the right place? You didn't make a wrong turn?"

"Enough. Why do you think we've been doing something as tiresome as collecting Emblems anyway?" Red Eyed took a rock fragment out of his pocket.

"Hey, isn't that what they took from the Monument at Daybreak Ruins?" Takumi whispered.

"Looks like we're about to find out what they need it so badly for." Ami replied.

Red Eyes looked at the tablet in front of him. "These Monuments were put here by someone in the past called the Hero to protect Moltres's sleep. We have the Emblem the Hero left to pass through here. I'll do it right now, so shut up and watch."

"What's he going to do?" Gargomon muttered to Togamon.

"Ya got me."

Red Eyes held up the part. "Ancient Emblem. Open a road for us!" A blue symbol appeared on the large tablet.

Ben's eyes widened. "That's…Entei's Guardian Sign!"

The tabled disappeared in a blue light, leaving a open path. The pinchers were in shock. "A-amazing! Is that formidable…thing on the other side?!"

Red Eyes looked serious for a change. "Don't get worked up. Be silent and follow me." Red Eyes entered and the two Pinchers followed. Just after they went through he tablet reappeared and blocked the path.

"Hey!" Summer ran up and banged against it. "Darn it! We're locked out! Red Eyes… He used the Emblem on the Monument…"

"Wait…" Takumi looked at Ben. "Did you say you saw Entei's Guardian Sign?"

"Yeah. It was right there on this rock before it cleared away."

"Then maybe…Maybe that's the key get in! It might not be the Emblem but maybe the Sign on it!"

Ben looked at his Styler. "So, you think if I drew it…"

"It's worth a shot." Arata said. "If we don't do something soon, Red Eyes will get to Moltres."

"Alright. Here goes." Ben fired his Styler and it stayed on the tablet. He traced the sign on it and the blue figure glowed. In a blue flash it disappeared again. "It worked!"

Summer smiled at her friend. "That was amazing, Ben! Now we can go to the other side!"

"They might have already started on their operation." Yuuko said. "Is everyone ready?"

The team nodded. "Then let's go." Ben looked on ahead. "It's time to end this." One by one they hurried through and found themselves at the peak of the volcano.

"Phew! Finally, back outside with fresh air!" Nokia gasped.

"Look!" Ami pointed at Red Eyes who was shooting purple rings from his Control Gauntlet at a ring of fire. Everyone ran over to him.

"Red Eyes!" Ben growled. "What are you doing?"

The two Pinchers were in shock. "L-Leader! It's the Pokemon Rangers and those Cyber Sleuths you mentioned!"

Red Eyes didn't turn away from what he was doing. "I know. I could hear them." Then he stopped to glance at them. "I don't know how you figured out our plans, but welcome to Faldera Volcano. I didn't think we would meet again."

Takumi glared at him. "I warned you, didn't I? I won't give up until we've stopped you."

"Yes, I shouldn't be surprised that you were able to escape the Daybreak Ruins. By the way, I have bad news for you. Moltres is about to wake up." Red Eyes smirked as he glanced back at the fiery ring. "In other words, you're too late."

Everyone looked inside the ring. They could see a large yellow bird with a flaming head, tail, and wings sleeping inside.

"Is that…Moltres?!" Yuugo asked.

"That thing's giving off a huge aura." Gargoman trembled. "If something like that gets lose…"

"Do you know the way back?" Red Eyes grinned. "I'm sure you've seen enough of Faldera Volcano by now. Watch your steps going down the mountain."

"Stop messing around!" Summer growled. "We came to protect Moltress from you!"

"Tourists should just relax and enjoy the scenery."

"Can I tear this guy apart now?!" Kurusarimon asked. "He's really getting on my nerves!"

Red Eyes signaled his Pinchers. "Hey, you guys. Give them a little tour." He then went back to his work on Moltres.

"Understood!" The two Pinchers stepped in front of them.

"Hello, we'll be your guides. Welcome to our official tour of a world of pain!"

At the sound of the words, Takumi briefly though back to darker events. Losing this body, seeing Yuuko and Arata merging with Eaters, remembering what he did and Yuuko after having forgotten him for so long. His expression became serious as two Scyther flew towards them. "Already been there."

"Bug/Flying types. They slice up their enemies with incredible speed and their scythes." Ben looked back at the team. "We need electric and fire attacks!"

"Got it!" Nokia looked up. "Greymon! Garurumon!"

"GeoGreymon!"

"Nova Blast!"

"Fox Fire!"

"Mega Burst!" The agile bugs flew around the attacks and then slashed at the two Greymon.

"Darn! They're too fast!" Nokia growled. "Just for once can we fight something that stands perfectly still?!"

Gargomon's hands glowed yellow as it watched the Scyther's movements. "Just keep attacking!"

"Heaven's Thunder." Guardromon threw his hands into the air, and a bolt of lightning shot up before coming down on the opponents.

"Pichu, Thunder!"

"CHUUUU!" Ben's partner summoned thunder bolts but both attacks were swiftly dodged by the Scyther. Ben rolled away just in time to avoid getting swiped. The Pokemon grouped together and prepared to make a u turn.

"Now! Rippling Net!" Gargomon threw a blast of electricity at them Pokemon stunning them in their tracks.

"Nanomachine Break!" Kurusarimon charged the spiked on its tendrils with sparks and thrusted them into the Digimon, knocking them both over.

"Now!" Ben and Summer launched their Stylers and drew their loops around the Pokemon catching them both.

The Pinchers stepped away. "Our Scyther were captured…" The moment Ben and Summer approached they ran over to Red Eyes.

"Leader! We are so sorry!"

"You lost, so just take a hike!" Summer barked.

Ben glared at the leader. "It's over Red Eyes."

"Ha, ha, ha. Who cares about winning or losing a battle right now? Look at Moltres. My underlings were useful for buying time."

"What?!"

Everyone stared at the sleeping bird. It lowered its head, then its eyes snapped open as it spread its wings, dispelling the ring of fire as it did so. It flapped its wings and took for the skies. "No!" Takumi growled as he shielded himself from the small embers that flew.

The Pinchers were in awe. "Fina…Finally, Moltres has awoken!"

Arata growled. "Jeez! The heat coming off this thing! How are we supposed to fight that?!"

Red Eyes grinned. "It was harder than I thought, but we finished one of our operations."

It flew right past the Rangers knocking them over.

"Aaah!"

"Eeek!"

"Ben! Summer!" Takumi ran over to them.

Red Eyes turned to his troops. "Pinchers! Time to start our next task!"

"Wait, that's it?!" Ami asked. "All that effort to go after Moltres and you're just going to let it run free?!"

"The bird isn't the big catch." Red Eyes grinned as he boarded his Red Z.Z. Flyer.

"Wait, Red Eyes!" Ben ran towards him.

"Nobody likes people who are too stubborn. Charizard! Teach these kids the meaning of the word "quit"!"

Ben stopped when he heard a roar and saw an orange flying Pokemon close in from his left. "Ben, look out!" Summer pushed him out of the way and was slammed by the Fire Type and sent hurling into a rock, screaming as she collided.

"Summer!" Ben wasted no time getting up and running to his friend. "Are you okay?!"

"Ow…I think so…" Suddenly a light came out of her Styler and her Staraptor landed on the ground. "What?! My Styler is…?!"

Ben looked at Summer's wrist and saw her gadget was split open. "With one hit?!"

"So long, Rangers!"

Takumi turned to him. "Gargomon, stop him, quick!"

"Right!"

"Oh, yeah. Got something for you kids too." Red Eyes grinned as he pressed a button on his Control Gauntlet. Five blue dragons with red wings and white skulls came out.

"Those are Airdramon!" Yuuko yelled.

"Digimon?" Takumi glared at him. "Were you the one who gave Blue Eyes the one she used at the tower?!"

"I'll see if you can figure that one out on your own "Cyber Sleuth." What kind of detective needs the bad guys to spell out the answers for them?" Red Eyes grinned before he left.

"W-wait for us! Leader!" The other Pinchers got on their Z.Z. Fliers and went after him.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Nokia yelled. "What's your next task?! Hey!"

The five Airdramon roared as they leered at them.

"We don't…have time for this!" Takumi growled. Everyone looked at him uneasily. His goggles and his eyes glowed yellow. Ami's were green.

Yuuko shuddered. "T-Takumi? Ami? What's happening?"

"If we don't stop Red Eyes now, we might never get another chance!" Ami yelled.

Both Gargomon and Togamon started to glow.

"What's going on?!" Summer asked.

Takumi and Ami put their goggles over their eyes and held up their gloved, glowing hands. "We won't let him get away with this!" A yellow and green light flew from their hands into the sky. A small text appeared in the lenses of their goggles.

DIGIVOLUTION

* * *

Back on the Union, Murph, Date and Fei looked at the peak of the volcano from the deck. "What was that burst of flame just now?!" Date asked. "An eruption?!"

"I don't know." Murph replied. "I hope the others are okay."

Suddenly they saw a green and yellow ray of light fly straight up, then turn back down.

"What's that?!" Fei asked. "What's going on up there?!"

The yellow light shined on Gargomon. The green one on Togamon. Large shells of light formed around them.

"Gargomon Digivolve to…" the first shell glowed furiously and them exploded. Gargomon was now a white rabbit, with green armor with a horned helmet and even armor on his ears with red tips, and the armor on his arms also were cannons. "Rapidmon!"

"Togamon Digivolve to…" the second shell glowed and exploded. Togamon was now a smaller humanoid Digimon with a pink dress, green boots a pink flower on her head with green hair like vines and leaf shaped wings. "Lillymon!"

Everyone was amazed. "No way…" Summer gaped. "You Digivolved your Digimon that were ALREADY Digivolved?!"

Arata scanned Takumi's "Rapidmon. Ultimate Level Vaccine. Holds the alias "Keen Hound" and is rumored to be capable of moving near light speed. It's giant ears act like radar to detect distant enemies."

Nokia scanned Ami's. "Lillymon. Ultimate Level Data. Kindly extends it's hand to the weak and emits a fresh spring breeze when it flies."

"They reached their Ultimate Level forms…" Yuuko said. "Takumi and Ami's determination made them even stronger!"

Takumi looked at the sky. "Now that we have a way to fly after them…we might be able to catch them if we go now. Can you guys handle things here?"

"Yeah! Leave it to us!" Nokia replied. "You two just catch that creep!"

"Wait, you two want to go alone?" Ben asked. "It's too dangerous! There are three of them!"

"Staaar!"

Everyone looked at Summer's Partner Pokemon as it stretched its wings. "Staraptor!" Summer went over to it. "Have your wounds healed?" The Pokemon hovered off the ground. "Ben! Go with them on my Staraptor!"

"What?"

"My Styler's broken! I can't do anything!"

"I can't just leave you here!"

"She'll be fine Ben!" Nokia said. "We aren't letting anyone lay a finger on her!"

"Ben. Go." Summer put her hands on Ben's shoulders. "You have to do this. Only you can."

"Summer…Okay." Ben hurried over to the bird Pokemon and climbed on. Takumi and Ami got on Rapidmon.

"Please take care of Ben, Staraptor."

"Once we wrap things up here, we'll head back to the Union." Arata said. "Good luck."

Rapidmon spread his arms. Green lights formed on his hands and feet that connected like a triangle. "Golden Triangle!" the triangle became a laser that destroyed one of the Airdramon, giving an opening for him, Lillymon and Staraptor to fly away. One of the remaining Digimon was about to give chase.

"D-Grenade." A rocket hit it in the back nocking it down. It glared at the others as it got up.

"Alright! Let's rock!" Arata yelled.

* * *

"There he is!" Ben yelled pointing into the distance. Red Eyes could be seen just ahead.

Takumi clutched his fist. "Come on, let's get him!"

Just then two men on Z.Z. Flyers flew in front of them. "Now you have to face us!"

"We're the Z.Z. Brothers who took second in the Z.Z. Flyer Contest!"

"Our acrobatic flying is even better than our leader's!"

"Ugh, why do they always talk so much?" Lillymon groaned. "If you want a fight, just come on already! We're in a hurry here!"

"Fine. We'll give you a special demonstration."

"Watch out for those Plasma Cannons!" Ben warned.

"Okay!"

The Pinchers shot a wave of green energy spheres at them. Ben maneuvered Staraptor under the first and over the next. Rapidmon flew around the attacks while carefully making sure Takumi and Ami didn't fall off. Being the smallest and not having passengers to be weary of, Lillymon had the easiest time, twirling around the attacks, without breaking a sweat.

They then fired red energy spheres. As Ben started moving away the blast closed in on him. "That's new."

"PI!" Pichu shot a spark at it and it exploded before it could hit Ben.

"Nice!"

Two more shots went towards Rapidmon and Lillymon. "Meteor Fall!" Rapidmon shot a red sphere from one of his arm cannons.

"Rune Forest!" With the swipe of her hand Lillymon threw a green spark that exploded. The attacks destroyed the Plasma fire.

After a few seconds of firing both Pinchers' cannons ran dry on energy. "Could this lead to the breakup of the Z.Z. Brothers?!"

"What are you saying, bro? We still have a Pokemon-based attack! Hoothoot! Go as crazy as you want!"

Ben saw three Hoothoot close in on them from the right. "Incoming!" He shot his Styler and charged it. With one big loop all three were tamed and flew away. Then another three appeared.

"PICHU!" Pichu shot a thunderbolt that struck them and weakened them enough to chase them away. Then three more came up.

"They just keep coming!"

Rapidmon closed in and punched one of them into another. Lillymon zipped up on the last one and spun upward kicking it away. Then another Hoothoot appeared with two of its evolved form. "Noctowls are joining in!" Ben said as he caught the last Hoothoot. As he did two more Noctowls emerged from the clouds and shot purple spheres from their eyes.

"We see em!" Takumi said as they evaded the attack. "Rapidmon!"

"Go, Lillymon!"

"Golden Triangle!" a green beam knocked one of them away.

Lillymon put her hands together and they became a blooming flour with a cannon. "Flower Cannon!" A green blast struck another Noctowl and exploded, sending it back into the clouds.

"Pichu, Thundershock!"

"PICHU!" With a cry Ben's partner shocked the third one and he drew charged loops with his Styler at the last one.

"There! I think that's all of them!"

The Pinchers growled. "Now we have no choice but to leave it to them!"

"I'm a little frustrated, but I guess we should."

One of them flew off. "We're going to call our rivals!"

"It's embarrassing, but I guess it can't be helped. Time to pass the baton to the Z.Z. Flyer Contest champions!" the other one said as he left.

"What are they babbling about?" Rapidmon asked.

"Who cares, let's hurry!" Lillymon replied. "We're catching up to Red Eyes!"

Just as they were closing in however a woman on a Z.Z. Flyer blocked their path from above. "Ho, boy." Ben rolled his eyes. "You got a rant of your own you want to go on?"

"Ummm, errr, well…There's this event where you compete over Z.Z. Flyer technique…"

"Spit it out already!" another girl barked as she flew in. "Basically Z.Z. champ test!"

A third Pincher flew to them making a triangle formation with their Z.Z. Flyers. "Stop abbreviating so much! Ranger! Sleuths! Prepare to be amazed!"

"I'm amazed that you people all like to talk so much, does that count?" Ben asked.

"We're the Z.Z. Flyer Contest champions, the Z.Z. Sisters!"

"Um, well, Ranger…you have to deal…Actually, what was the official name, ummm…Pokemon Ranger?"

"Hey, we're here too ya know!" Ami pouted.

"Spit it out already! Basically no p'chute skyd'ing with Plasma C's!"

"What the heck does that even mean?!" Lillymon asked.

"Stop abbreviating so much! Ranger! Sleuths! Prepare to be blown away! We'll fire our Plasma Cannons and give you a taste of what skydiving without a parachute is like!"

All three of the Pinchers dove into the clouds.

"Ooooor, you can all just run away." Ben said. "See? All talk with these people."

"Don't let your guard down." Takumi said. "They could be trying to ambush us."

Lillymon yelped as she felt something hit her back, making her spin out of control a bit. When she looked behind her one of the Pinchers flew back into the clouds. "Hey! Cheep shot coward!"

Two more flew in front of Ben and Rapidmon and started concentrating their fire. They could only dodge and didn't have time to retaliate before they hid back into the clouds. The Pinchers carefully timed their attacks in waves coming out one or two at a time firing fast and homing shots at Ben and his friends, but hey managed to evade them.

"What's that called. Ummm…"

"Spit it out already! Po-

"Stop abbreviating everything! Ranger! Sleuths! Prepare for a Pokemon attack!"

"Aye, it's like a broken record." Ami groaned.

"Incoming!" Takumi said as four Pidgy flew at them. More started to close in.

Ben caught them in groups with a charged capture line before they could make a move. After the twelfth Pidgy was tamed he heard a different Pokemon cry. Two Pidgeotto came from behind and shot whirlwinds with the flap of their wings. Ben flew to the side of the attacks, before Pichu shocked them.

Meanwhile Rapidmon and Lillymon flew towards each other with two more Pidgeotto chasing them. Just when they were in front of each other the Digimon flew straight up and their pursuers crashed into each other and fell. "Oldest trick in the book!" Takumi laughed as he and Ami high fived.

The Pinchers groaned. "As for whether we won or lost, umm, I guess we lost…"

"Loss."

"I hate to admit it, but we lost…"

"Ummmm…As for why we lost…"

"See ya!" one of them flew away before their comrade could continue.

"I think, ummm, it would be better to analyze why we lost…"

The last one sighed. "I'm stuck between a girl who takes a month to finish a sentence and one who can't finish one! Honestly, I'm sick of it!" the third one flew off leaving the first Pincher alone.

"Don't leave me, ummm…What do you call it…?"

"Alone." Ami said.

"Yeah, that! Wait up!" then the final Pincher flew away.

"Done! Now let's hurry!"

Ben and the others closed in on Red Eyes. The man pressed another button on his gauntlet and two more Digimon appeared. "Megadramon!" Takumi gasped. "Red Eyes still had more Digimon with him?!"

They roared as they flew past them. "This is bad!" Ben growled. "If those two are on the lose, innocent Pokemon could get hurt!"

"He's trying to distract us from him!" Ami said. "What do we do?!"

Takumi closed his eyes. "Ben…Go after him! Ami, Rapidmon, Lillymon and I will stop the Megadramon!"

"Okay! Be carful!"

As Rapidmon and Lillymon turned around to chase the Digimon, Ben finally got close enough to Red Eyes to get his attention. "Is stubbornness one of the qualities they look for in a Ranger? Or a Cyber Sleuth for that matter?" He turned around the face Ben.

"We're like that. Sorry Red Eyes, but you're not running off this time."

"If you want to taste defeat that badly…Fine. I'll play with you for a bit. Can you dodge my onslaught of attacks?" He fired two red plasma blasts at Ben who moved to the left.

"This won't end like last time! Pichu! Staraptor! Let's go!"

* * *

The two Megadramon roared as they flew off. One of them were stopped and looked behind them to see Rapidmon holding it by the tail. "This one's all yours!" With a few spins he swung it around and threw it backwards towards Lillymon before he flew after the other.

Lillymon charged and kicked it in the face. Kicking off it, she flipped before her hands glowed green. "Gaia Element!" She threw a green orb at it, knocking it back.

Meanwhile Rapidmon was hurrying after the other Megadramon. "Hold on tight you two!" Ami and Takumi grabbed onto him for dear life as he sped up. He flew in front of the Megadramon and rammed his knee into his face. "Nanomachine Break!" At full speed he swung his hand into Megadramon's chest, shattering the Digimon into pieces that Takumi absorbed into his hand.

"One down!" the Sleuth said.

Rapidmon flew back over to Lillymon who was dodging the other Megadramon's tail.

"Genocide Grenade!" The Digimon fired two missiles at Lillymon who flew away. But they stayed locked onto her and no matter how many twists and turns she made they started to close in.

She quickly turned around. "Flower Cannon!" She shot the missiles and they exploded. The shockwave sent her spinning backwards. Just as she managed to stop herself the Digimon came at her.

"Wind Claw!"

Lillymon yelped and braced herself.

"Golden Triangle!" A bright beam destroyed Megadramon. Its data flew over to Takumi who was still on Rapidmon. "Needed help for this one?"

"Hey, he's a Virus type and I'm a Data! Cut me some slack!"

"Forget that guys." Takumi said. "Let's see if we can catch up to Ben and Red Eyes."

* * *

Ben flew around Red Eye's concentrated shots. He jumped off of Staraptor and backflipped to avoid one of them. He landed back on it before Pichu shot another bolt. Red Eyes leaned to the left to evade it before he continued firing.

Staraptor performed a barrel roll, dodging the attacks while getting closer. Ben jumped off and landed on Red Eyes' Z.Z. Flyer. He threw a punch at the leader, but he blocked it before throwing a punch with his other hand that Ben caught. After a short grapple Red Eyes threw Ben's arms back and was about to punch him, but the Ranger backflipped off the vehicle and back onto Staraptor.

Red Eyes smirked. "You're not bad. Now I'll switch into my serious mode. This Pokemon is your opponent!" With the snap of his fingers came a roar. He flew upwards and his Charizard rushed towards Ben.

"Whoa!" Ben flew out of the way, when it tried to ram him. Then it came from behind, shooting fireballs. Staraptor franticly dodged them. Getting closer, it shot a flamethrower from its mouth. The flames were getting dangerously close.

"Flower Cannon!" A green blast hit it in the back, making it lose balance.

"Never fear, the calvary's here!" Ami sang as Ben saw Rapidmon and Lillymon catch up.

"Just in time!" Ben grinned.

"Let's slay some dragons, Rapidmon!" Takumi rooted.

"Well, technically Charizard is a Fire Flying type, not a Dragon." The Pokemon shot a huge blast of fire at Ben, who narrowly dodged it. "And apparently is very sensitive over the matter!"

Takumi scanned it. "Yup. Charizard, Fire/Flying. Seeks strong opponents with its fire said to be capable of melting anything."

"Meteor Fall!" Rapidmon shot red spheres from his cannons at Charizard, but it flew around the attacks.

"Gaia Element!" Lillymon threw Green spheres at it, but it evaded those as well. "Argh, it's too fast!"

Takumi stared at it for a bit and stood up on Rapidmon. "I think I got an idea. Rapidmon, take care of Ami."

"Um…Okay."

Ami looked at her brother. "Takumi? What are you-

The boy jumped off of Rapidmon and onto Charizard's back. The Pokemon roared as it spun out of control. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Ben, Ami, Rapidmon and Lillymon yelled, dumbstruck.

Takumi grunted as the Charizard tried to shake him off. "Gah! Okay…clearly not my brightest idea ever. Ben! Now!" The Ranger charged his Styler and drew rapid loops around the Pokemon until it settled down. Takumi sighed in relief.

Red Eyes growled. "Listen up, you brats! I admit you won this time. But next time will be different!"

Two Pinchers emerged from the clouds. "Leader, we have a report! We've finally located Articuno!"

Ben's eyes widened. "Articuno?!"

"According to our information, Articuno's location, which is very important is…"

"Don't say another word!" Red Eyes barked. "What are you doing giving the Ranger and his friends information?!"

"Oh no! Leader! Forgive me!"

"Oh, come on! Ever heard of sharing?!" Lillymon asked.

Red Eyes groaned. "Hey, Ranger. That Staraptor looks a little tired. I won't say anything bad. You and it should go nap somewhere. I'm going on ahead. So long!"

"Hey, we're still here!" Takumi said. "Think we'll just let you run off!?"

"Oh, right." Red Eyes pressed another button on his Z.Z. Flyer and a burst of smoke shot out of it, blinding his pursuers. He used that chance to fly into the clouds with his fellow Pinchers.

"*cough* You've got to be kidding!" Ami groaned as the smokescreen cleared up. By the time they could see, the targets were long gone.

Ben's Styler started beeping. "Ben!"

"Summer? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Arata and the others took down the Digimon. We're back at the Union with-HEY!"

"Let me talk to them!" another voice said.

"Date? Is that you?" Ami asked.

"What's going on up there?! Did you catch Red Eyes?!"

"No…we were so close too…" Ben sighed.

"I see…I want a full report. Get back to the Union ASAP."

"We're on our way."

* * *

Once the ship was in view, Ben dropped down onto the deck. Followed by Takumi and Ami. Staraptor, Rapidmon and Lillymon landed behind them. "Thanks for the lift!" Takumi waved as the Charizard flew off with a peppy roar. "What a nice guy."

Summer smiled as she stroked her partner's head. "Thank you, Staraptor."

Date looked at Rapidmon and Lillymon. "So that's your new Digimon? This evolution above evolution?"

"Now that everyone's here, could someone give me a report about what happened?" Murph asked.

"Right…" Yuuko sighed. "The good news is that Moltres is safe. They didn't try to pinch it."

Fei raised an eyebrow. "What? I thought that was their goal."

"Red Eyes said their goal was complete just by waking the bird up." Agumon said.

"We've got more bad news." Ben said. "It sounds like their next plan has already been set into motion."

"I see." Murph mumbled. "That's not good."

"Hey, Ben?" Summer looked at him sadly. "I guess we can't really call it a Mission Clear this time, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Murph smiled. "That's not true. You managed to reveal a little of what they were doing."

"Fat load of good that does us. It was only a little, and we still don't know what their goals are…" Takumi sighed.

"Come on! The mood around here is getting gloomy. Building up little by little is important!"

"Murph's right!" Date smirked. "Didn't the fishy lady teach you anything? You don't solve a case just like that! You gather clues! Pick things up piece by piece!"

"And don't forget guys!" Nokia smiled. "Our mission was to keep Moltres from getting pinched, not capturing Red Eyes! So, seeing how they didn't pinch it, I'd say we did a good job!"

"Not to mention, Takumi and Ami got their Digimon to Ultimate level." Yuugo added. "That will play a big part in the upcoming battles."

Murph nodded. "I'm sure Prof. Hastings would say it like this. For now, it's mission Clear!"

Ben and Summer smiled as they performed their posses alongside Murph. "It's cute how you pose without thinking when you hear that!" Nokia laughed.

"I guess for now we should report to Rand and the others." Rapidmon said.

Murph turned around. "Well then, The Union is off for Tilt Village! All aboard!"

* * *

Once they arrived at the village everyone got off. "Good work, everyone." Murph smiled. "I'll stay here on The Union. It would be terrible if the Pinchers were to do something to the ship."

"Yeah, we'll be needing her." Date nodded. "Maybe Lopmon and I will guard the ship too."

"We'll go to Rand's house to report." Ben said before looking back to his crew. "Everyone ready?"

* * *

**And so that concludes the Faldera mission and our first battle against Red Eyes. Stay tuned for the next mission.**


	24. Chapter 24: The Next Legendary Bird

**With Moltres awakened, and Red Eyes escaping, the team's only clue on what their enemies are planning next is another of the legendary birds, Articuno. Hoping to learn more of the Pokemon, they return to Rand's house to consult their friends for information.**

* * *

"Welcome everyone." Matayoshi said as Ben and the others returned.

"…What's wrong, guys?" Rand asked. "You look glum."

Palmon looked down. "Well…the good news is we protected Moltres…But that's really only because they didn't try to pinch it. They just woke it up and called it a day."

"What? Why?" Kyoko asked.

"It's just like with Raikou and the others." Ben added. "They don't want to catch the legendary Pokemon."

"And yet they enslave other Pokemon all the same." Takumi growled.

"It can't be helped." Matayoshi sighed. "Pokemon can do things normal people can't. As far as the Pinchers care, they think of them as nothing more than weapons or tool-

"LIVING BEINGS AREN'T WEAPONS!"

Everyone was shocked at Takumi and Ami's simultaneous display of rage. Both of them looked the most furious they have ever been. "Uh…Takumi? Ami?" Nokia trembled. "You two feeling okay?"

Once Takumi and Ami saw their friends surprised, confused and even a little afraid, their expressions softened. "…Sorry…" Takumi muttered.

"…Maybe you two should take a walk." Kyoko said. "Try to clear your heads a bit."

"Okay…" Ami nodded before she and her brother left.

"What was that about?" Summer asked.

Arata shrugged. "You got me. I've never seen them so angry."

Palmon looked at Terriermon. "I think it's about that case."

"Yeah…"

"Case? What case?" Matayoshi asked.

"You don't remember because of the world transforming. But you and Kyoko sent Takumi and Ami to investigate a series of incidents in the city where things were getting slashed. After doing a search they found out that it was done by a laser of some sort and then used the Connect Jump to trace it."

"Wait, Connect Jump into what?" Yuuko asked.

"The laser being fired at them."

"What?! Must they always be so reckless?!"

"Good grief those two…" Arata groaned. "One of these days, that brash attitude is going to get them into a bigger mess then they can escape from!"

"Yes, I suppose I'll have to keep a closer eye on those two." Kyoko said.

Terriermon squinted at her. "That's…not really the issue."

"What do you mean?"

"He means the reckless Connect Jump was YOUR idea." Palmon replied. "Even though you thought there was a chance the Connect Jump would fail, and they'd end up with holes in their heads!"

"Not that you told them that until AFTER the case was closed!" Teriermon added.

Everyone in the room glared or squinted at Kyoko, who cleared her throat. "Yes, well…Part of being a good detective involves taking a few risks."

Matayoshi laughed. "Ha! I guess you're not the only one who needs to keep an eye on their juniors!"

Terriermon rolled his eyes. "Sure. Well, anyway, after the Connect Jump they found a lone Tankmon. He said he was an optical weapon Digimon that broke out of a military in another country. A means of attacking the real world from cyberspace."

"I see…" Yuugo said. "Something like that would be hard to intercept."

"Right. But Tankmon hatted that he was only useful for that. So, he ran away."

"But if that's the case why was he attacking the city?" Leanne asked.

"He didn't mean any harm." Palmon assured. "He was just practicing his techniques to see if he can find a way to put them to use aside from hurting people. He didn't even know his lasers were hitting the real world. After that was cleared up, things looked like they were going to end peacefully, but…"

"What?" Fei asked.

"Takumi and Ami got a call. And Tankmon heard them being referred to as detectives and then attacked them. We had no choice but to fight back and…delete him."

"The last thing Tankmon said was "I wish I'd never been created" That really hurt Takumi and Ami…" Terriermon looked down. "I think to this day they view that event as their biggest failure."

Everyone had saddened looks on their faces. "That's horrible…" Nokia sighed.

"That's probably why they want to stop the Pinchers so bad." Gabumon said. "They don't want anyone ending up like Tankmon…"

"Well…Then it's up to us to make sure that doesn't happen." Ben said. "We'll stop Red Eyes."

"Right. But we still don't know what he's really after." Summer sighed.

"And that's not the only issue." Fei added. "Now we've got this Arcadiamon runnin' lose."

"Arcadiamon?" Rand asked.

"Agumon and Gabumon said it was a Digimon that could wipe out the entire Digital world!" Nokia said. "We ran into it while looking for Red Eyes! We barley managed to chase it off!"

"Great. Like we don't have enough problems."

"Well there are two things we know." Ben said. "One is that the reason they needed that Emblem from the Monument Entei was guarding is because it was needed to reach Moltres. Another is that one of the Pinchers were talking when we were chasing Red Eyes in the sky, and it looks like their next target is Articuno."

"Articuno?"

"What's that?" Agumon asked.

"Remember what we said about Moltres being one of three legendary birds?" Rand replied. "Well Atricuno is another."

"Interesting…" Kyoko said. "I did a little research and it turns out there is another legendary trio spoken of in this region. Raikou. Entei. Suicune. And if there are three legendary birds that require Emblems to be reached…"

"You think there might be another Emblem?" Rand asked. "A third one the Pinchers haven't gotten their hands on yet?"

"If they already are after the birds, I think they might already have them all."

Matayoshi nodded. "Makes sense. Rather then looking for something they may or may not have already beaten us to, let's assume they have it for now and focus on getting to Articuno. Rand, do you know it's location?"

"I've never seen Articuno personally, but I have heard that it is in a deep sleep somewhere in this Oblivia region. But I don't know where it could be."

Leanne smiled. "There may be a hint about Articuno's location somewhere in this room. And it's very close to us?"

Everyone started looking around. Rand stared in front of him. "What do the flowers on the table have to do with Articuno?"

Leanne sighed in exasperation. "Oh, for godness' sake. I'm not talking about the flowers. We're all walking on it right now."

Everyone looked down. "What, the rug?" Fei asked.

"That's right. Rand bought it for me right after we moved to Oblivia."

"That's right. I bought it at the Aqua Resort on Sophian Island. But what's the rug's connection to Articuno?"

"You bought it, but you've forgotten already? Why don't you move the table and have a look at the rug?"

"Okay. Let's do that. Ben, Arata, help me out."

"Okay." Ben and Arata grabbed one end of the table.

"One, two, three!" The three of them moved the table off the rug and to the side.

Once the full rug was in view, Summer gave it a surprised glance. "This design is…Articuno!" Sure enough, a bird was designed on the rug.

"It's trapped inside the rug?!" Agumon asked.

Gabumon perked up. "Ben, Summer, get your Stylers out! Quick!"

FanBeemon rolled her eyes. "Are we sure these two are a Royal Knight?"

"Oh, that's right." Rand said. "The Articuno design on this rug has been passed down from generation to generation on Sophia Island. I just remember the weaver talking about that."

Leanne smiled. "Right? So, Sophia Island must have some connection to Articuno."

"I bet the weaver could tell us more." Yuuko added.

Kyoko nodded. "Then that's our next move. Rand, where in Sophia Island did you buy this rug?"

"Aqua Resort. You'll need to fly there to find the weaver."

"The Aqua Resort is on Sophian Island. It's a very beautiful resort town." Leanne said.

"Oh! Sound nice!" Nokia chimed. "Beats going to another volcano!"

"Hey, stay focused." Arata grumbled. "We'll be there on a mission not a vacation."

"Party pooper."

"What do you say kids?" Matayoshi asked. "You up to it?"

"Leave it to us!" Summer replied. "Oh, but…My Styler's broken. And…My Staraptor is exhausted." She looked at her partner who passed out after coming in.

Ben looked down in shame. "I'm sorry. Both those problems are my fault."

"H-hey, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"She's right." Rand replied. "Nema can fix her Styler. Staraptor can rest here. But now that I think about it, one Staraptor can't carry all of you. Even if you were to try to capture another Staraptor, for some reason I haven't seen any around recently."

"Well the good news is, Takumi and Ami can now Digivolve Terriermon and Palmon to Rapidmon and Lillymon." Arata said. "And those two can fly."

"I think I can only carry one of you as Lillymon." Palmon said.

Terriermon raised his ear like a hand. "I can carry two. Maybe three if I have to."

"My Digimon can carry me as Waspmon." Fei said.

"And maybe someone else with her." FanBeemon added.

Rand nodded. "Well first let's wait for Takumi and Ami to get back. Then we-

"Rand!" Burkhart ran inside without any warning.

"Burkhart. What's the matter?"

"We got trouble! I saw some Pinchers coming out of the storehouse on Hinder Cape! They were keeping carful watch, though, so I just saw from a distance."

"In that abandoned storehouse? That sounds suspicious."

"But that's not all! After most of them left I saw those twins…Takumi and Ami I think their names were! They went to pick a fight with one of them on their own!"

Everyone in the room went wide eyed. "SAY WHAT?!" Terriermon asked. "Without us?! They'll be sitting ducks!"

Rand turned to Ben. "Ben! We're going over there now!"

"Right!"

"I'm going to!" Tarriemron said.

"Me too!" Palmon added.

Arata stepped forward. "Same here."

Rand nodded. "Alright. The rest of you wait here. Hinder Cape's storehouse is right before the Big Booker Bridge. Let's hurry!"

Burkhart straightened up. "Just leave the Wireless Tower to me!"

* * *

Ben, Rand, and Arata ran down the path as fast as they could. It wasn't long before the structure they were looking for came into view. "This is the storehouse that Burkhart was talking about." Rand said.

"I've seen it many times now." Ben said. "But I never really thought about what could be inside."

"That's strange. The door is open."

"Never mind that." Arata said. "Where are Ami and Takumi?"

Suddenly Takumi was flung right out of the storehouse, landing painfully on his side.

Terriermon jumped. "T-Takumi?!"

Ami then came flying out, landing next to her brother. Both had bruises all over them.

Palmon shrieked. "Ami!"

Then a Ledian flew out the door. A Pincher walked up from behind it. "Wow, real brave of you kids to come face me alone. "Stupid, but brave."

"Hey!" Ben and Rand confronted the Pincher. Arata, Terriermon, Palmon and Keramon ran straight to Takumi and Ami.

The Pincher shuddered. "What? Pokemon Rangers! And two of them, at that!"

"You've got some nerve beating on my pals like that." Ben growled punching into an open palm.

Arata shook Ami. "Hey, are you alright?!"

Terriemron rubbed Takumi's head. "Say something, pal!"

Takumi slowly opened his eyes. "Guys…? What are you…?"

Rand glared at the Pincher. "Do you mind telling us what you've been doing here?"

The Pincher backed up a bit. "Well, um, errr, actually, how should I put this, basically…What am I to do…?"

"Get away from him." Ben and Rand looked behind them to see Arata rise to his feet with a cold glare. "That creep's sorry butt is mine."

Keramon laughed. "Oh, ho, ho, ho! You're in for it now sucker!"

The Pincher smirked. "Oh, just another kid? The Rangers are one thing, but if you want to fight, bring it on!"

Arata chuckled. "Kid? I suppose I am just a kid in the end. But I don't care what you say about me…what ticks me off…" He then let out a sharp glare. "Is that you hurt my friends in front of my face! I hope you got health insurance pal, because I don't plan on showing mercy!" Suddenly his eyes glowed blue. As did his Digivice which displayed a word.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Arata? What's going on?" Rand asked.

Ben looked at him. "This is just like when Takumi and Ami…"

Arata held up his Digivice. A blue light shot out of it before it came down on Keramon. "Keramon Warp Digivolve to…" A blue shell formed around it. After a couple of seconds, the image of Kurusarimon could be seen through the shell before it disappeared, and the shell grew. A couple seconds later Arata's Digimon was now a spider with a red and white body and red horn with a line of yellow spikes on his back. "Infermon!"

"Whoa! What the heck happened to Arata's Digimon?!" Rand asked. "It didn't evolve into that last time! Is this what Nema was talking about with that data she found?"

"No…" Terriemon gaped. "That's the evolved form of Keramon's champion level! He's become an Ultimate level Digimon!"

Ben scanned Arata's Digimon. "Infermon. Ultimate Level Free Type. It can penetrate any network regardless of the strength of its security."

"Stay back." Arata ordered. "We're taking him down."

The Pincher trembled. "W-what is that thing?! I thought it was weird that it could talk but…Ledian! Get rid of it! Comet Punch!"

The Pincher's Pokemon threw a punch at Arata's Digimon, but he withdrew his limbs and head into his body and the attack was blocked. He them shoved his head at the bug type, knocking it back.

"Spider Shooter!" Infernmon opened his mouth and a canon came out. Four blasts of energy at Ledian. It dodged the first two but the third and fourth hit it so hard it flew straight into the storehouse wall and fell unconscious.

"Pardon me!" the pincher was about to run away, but Arata caught him by his collar.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Um…anywhere but here?"

"On the contrary. You're gonna be here for a while longer."

"Arata?!" Rand gave him an uneasy look. "What are you-

"This is for Takumi and Ami." The young man punched the Pincher in the face and shoved him over to Infernmon. The Digimon rammed itself into the Pincher, knocking him out.

"Just how powerful are Digimon really?" Rand said. "I can see now why one can be a threat to an entire world…"

Ben was kneeling in front of Takumi and Ami. "Hey, are you two alright?"

Takumi winced a bit. "Yeah. Just a few bruises."

"Now see what happens when you two run off on your own?" Arata asked.

Ami looked away. "…Sorry."

Ben sighed. "Look. It's like you told me Takumi. You don't have to do any of this alone. I know you don't like it when other people, Pokemon, or Digimon become victims, but that doesn't mean it's your fault."

"Ben's right." Rand nodded. "I can't forgive what they're doing either. That's why we should work together to stop them."

Arata put his hands in his pockets. "Naturally I'm in too. Can't have you two running off to save the day on your own, now can I?"

"…Yeah." Takumi smiled slightly. "Thanks guys."

"So, what were the Pinchers doing here?" Rand asked.

"I think they were stuffing Pokemon inside some kind of cage in there. Ami and I were going to Connect Jump into the lock but…"

"You two are in no condition for that now." Arata said. "I'll do it."

"Okay. Be carful. There could be a Digimon inside."

Arata walked into the storehouse. Inside he saw a large steel cage. He held his hand towards the locking mechanism. "Connect Jump!" he became pixels and flew inside the device. There he found himself on a grid face to face with an Ogremon. "Yup, Takumi called it. Infernmon!"

"Destruction Cannon!" Arata's Digimon fired a purple blast at the Ogremon, whipping it out in one shot. Its data flew into Arata's Digivice.

"Okay. Now then…" he opened a screen and did a bit of tinkering. "There we go. That takes care of the lock." He came back out and opened the door to the cage. "Now let's see what's so important." A horde of Staraptor flew out. "Well, I'll be."

Rand came inside with Ben behind him. "Arata? What's going on?"

"Here's why you haven't seed seeing any Staraptor lately. Those goons must have been trying to stop you Rangers from flying everywhere and screwing with their plans."

One by one they flew free as Rand, Ben and Arata walked outside. Takumi and Ami were sitting against a tree with their Digimon. "Were those Staraptor?" Ami asked.

"Yup." Ben nodded. "Now we can get their help anywhere we see them in Oblivia! That should help us get to Sophian Island!"

"Sophian Island?" Takumi asked.

Terriemron spoke up next. "Red Eyes is going after Articuno next. Another legendary bird."

"Oh yeah. One of his thugs said something about that."

"Right. Rand has a rug that looks like Articuno that he got on Sophian Island. So, we're going to go there next and see if the weaver knows anything."

"Let's go back to my house first." Rand said. "Then we'll tell you everything."

"Okay…" Ami attempted to stand up, but suffered from her injuries.

"Don't hurt yourselves more then you already have today." Arata walked over to Ami and put one arm behind her back and the other under her legs.

"A-Arata? What are you-EEEEK!" Ami yelped as he scooped her up in his arms and her face became as red as her hair.

Arata turned back to the Rangers. "You two mind grabbing Takumi?"

"Yeah, sure." Ben replied as Arata went on ahead. Ben and Rand each grabbed an arm and lifted Takumi just off the ground.

Rand grinned at the Sleuth. "Something tells me you'll want to be keeping an eye on Arata."

Takumi laughed. "I'm cool with it as long as he doesn't make my sister cry. Then I'll beat the snot out of him again."

"Again?"

"Long story."

* * *

Takumi and Ami were resting on the sofas. "Say, Nokia?" Agumon whispered. "Why was Ami's face red when Arata carried her in? Is she sick?"

The girl smirked. "Oh yes. Very sick. But don't worry, it's a good kind of sick."

"There are good kinds?"

"Yup! A very adorable kind at that!"

"Well the good news is all the Staraptor were released safely!" Summer gleamed. "Plus, thanks to the rest, my Staraptor's feeling a lot better, too!"

"That was fast." Arata shrugged.

"Come on, Staraptor." The Pokemon flew to Summer's side.

"Once Takumi and Ami are healed up, we'll go to Aqua Resort." Ben said. "In the mean time given what happened with those Staraptor we should probably do a thorough patrol."

"Good idea." Rand nodded.

"I think I'll go with you." Yuuko said. "I was one of the last to join your group, so I haven't seen much of the region."

"If Yuuko's going, then so am I." Fei added.

Ben and Summer smiled. "Okay." Ben nodded. "We'll be back as soon as we're done."

* * *

"Cocona Village." Fei smiled faintly as she looked around. "It's been a while since I was last here."

"This is where you landed after the accident, Fei?" Yuuko asked.

"Sure is."

"Rangers!" A young boy ran up to them. "Bidoof is in trouble!"

"A Bidoof?" Summer asked.

"Croagunk is chasing it in front of Rasp Cavern!"

"What? Why?" Ben asked.

"I don't know, but I feel sorry for it. Please help it!"

"We're going, aren't we?" Fei asked.

"Yeah!" Ben smiled as he and Summer posed. "Quest on!"

* * *

Takumi and Ami were alone in the living room. Kyoko and Leanne were in the study, Nema, Arata and Yuugo were in the younger girl's lab and everyone else was doing their own patrol except for Nokia who was doing her own thing. Ami was still lying on the couch trying to rest. She was sore all over.

"Hey, Ami?"

The girl opened here eyes and saw Agumon's face. "ACK!"

On the other couch, Takumi opened his eyes and looked over to where his sister was. Agumon was leaning over the armrest her head was on. "Yeesh, I thought the Pinchers were attacking. Don't scare me like that."

"Tell that to him!" Ami replied.

"Sorry." Agumon replied. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"How long have you had this "crush" thing?"

Ami looked at him in surprise. "Huh?"

"Nokia told me you had something called a "crush" on Arata, but I don't fully understand it."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"Agumooooooon!" Nokia hurried over to them with Gabumon at her side. "It's not polite to talk about that kind of thing to a lovestruck girl!"

"It isn't? Sorry." Agumon got down from the side of the couch he was holding onto and walked over to her. Palmon, Terriermon and Takumi were all laughing.

"Nokia, why are you saying I have a crush on Arata?!" Ami asked with her face turning red again.

"Probably because you _do _have a crush on Arata." Her brother replied.

"I-I do not!"

"Then why were you so flustered when he carried you in here?"

"I just-I wasn't expecting it, alright?!" Ami glared. "Not very often a guy just picks me up like that! Frankly I'm amazed Arata is strong enough to do that…"

"Oooooh! So, you like how strong he is!" Nokia teased.

"That's not what I meant!"

Takumi chuckled as he glanced at Nokia. "Uh, Nokia? What happened to talking about this not being polite? Don't get me wrong, I'm having fun teasing her too, I'm just asking." He added earning another glare from Ami.

"I'm a girl too so it's okay for me!" Nokia replied with a cheeky grin. "Now you keep quiet and leave the teasing to me!"

"Hey, I'm her brother, so it's practically mandatory!"

"Hmmm…Well okay. I don't have any siblings, so I'll take your world for it."

Gabumon tilted his head to the side. "This is really confusing…Crushing has so many complex rules, even when you're not the one with the crush."

"I don't HAVE one!" Ami protested.

"Oh, don't bother hide it!" Nokia snickered. "I know an obvious cute couple when I see one!"

Ami leaned her head back so she could look at Nokia and raise an eyebrow at her. "Said the girl who objected to Ryota and Sakura being a couple."

"How'd you know about that?"

"After the breakup we found Ryota mopping in the café while working before we left to the Digital World." Takumi replied. "Poor guy took it hard. Why did you say that to Sakura anyway?"

"Well, it's not really a good idea to just get into a relationship when you're not familiar with how romances work."

"But Sakura and Ryota have know each other for a long time." Ami replied. "Plus, you saw what the guy did to save her from Jimiken."

Nokia sighed. "I know, that was brave of Ryota, I'll give him that. Still I can't help but think Sakura should think about it and go through her options before she decides, ya know?"

"Well, too late for that now." Takumi said putting his hands behind his head as he laid down.

Nokia looked back at him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear? They've been a couple for the last month or so now. Since we changed the world and the previous hook up and breakup never happened, they seem closer than ever before, so I don't think anything you say will change things at this point."

"Really? Sakura hasn't told me anything."

"She's probably just shy about it." Ami replied. "But she and Ryota are really happy now."

"Well, if that's the case then I guess it's okay." Nokia said. "If Sakura's genially happy with Ryota, then I won't object."

"Good." Takumi nodded before turning back to Ami. "But back to the original topic."

Ami turned her head to him. "Huh?"

Her brother grinned. "Nice try, I know you were just trying to distract us from you and Arata."

"Oh, yeah!" Nokia smirked at Ami. "Tried to trick me, did you? Just for that I herby declare the teasing to continue until Ben and the others get back!"

Ami's face went red again as she looked at Palmon who was laughing on the couch. "Partner, I need you to do me a huge favor."

"Yeah?"

"Digivolve right now and knock those jerks unconscious! If you need to give them a concussion, fine!"

* * *

Ben, Summer, Yuuko and Fei hurried through the forest. It wasn't long before they heard the cries of a distressed Pokemon.

"Over there!" Summer pointed at the entrance to Rasp Cavern where a Bidoof was being cornered by a Croagunk.

"Stop!" Ben launched his Styler at it. As Pichu played soothing music, he drew loops around it until it calmed down. It then walked away without making a fuss.

"That's done." Fei said. "That beaver over there still looks freaked out. Might want to catch it too."

"Wait." Summer walked over to the Bidoof and crouched down. "It's okay little guy."

"Summer, be careful." Yuuko warned. "It looks so frightened I think it could attack if you get close."

"Just watch." Ben smiled. "She's done this a million times."

Summer petted the Pokemon's head. Bidoof smiled and rolled over. The Ranger laughed as she gave it a belly rub.

"She befriended it just like that?" Yuuko asked.

Ben nodded. "I don't know how she does it. Pokemon just seem naturally happy with her."

Fei chuckled. "A regular animal person, huh?"

The boy from before ran over to them. "Oh, hey there." Ben waved. "Bidoof is safe."

"Thank you for helping Bidoof!"

"Not a problem. Still, why was that Croagunk chasing him like that?"

"I know why." Summer said.

The Pokemon looked at the people staring at it. "Bidoof?"

"Sorry, little guy." Summer reached and gently pulled something off of its fur. A small fruit. She handed it to the boy. "This berry was caught on its tail. Croagunk was drawn to the smell."

The Bidoof walked over to the boy. "Huh? What is it Bidoof? Are you sniffing me?"

"Bidoof!"

The Pokemon started following the boy in circles. Ben, Summer and Fei laughed. "Hahaha! Now it's my turn to get chased by Bidoof! Thank you, Rangers!" the boy waved as he ran off.

"Quest clear!" Ben and Summer high fived and performed their poses.

"Wait…" Fei looked around. "Where's Yuuko?"

"Over here." Yuuko and Guilmon walked up to them. Each had an arm full of fruit. "Did something happen?"

"Sorry, we smelled the fruit over there and got distracted." Guilmon said stuffing his face.

Ben and Summer shrugged at each other. "Just make sure you don't end up getting chased." Ben smirked. "So, Summer, shall we…" Ben turned behind him and saw Summer looking the other way. "Summer?"

Summer was staring at a rock. "A Guardian Sign!"

"What? I don't see it. I guess that means it's for you."

Summer recorded it into her Styler. "I bet it's for that Bidoof. Maybe it'll come in handy."

"Maybe. Well for now, let's head back." The others nodded.

* * *

"Are you two sure you'll be alright?" Yuuko asked back at Rand's place.

Takumi nodded. "Yeah. I'm all healed up."

"Me too." Ami added.

"Wow. That was fast." Summer replied. "I guess half cyber bodies patch up quicker."

"Alright. Then we're ready to go to Aqua Resort." Yuugo said.

"I caught a Staraptor while out on patrol." Ben said. "With Summer's Partner we have two. Plus Terriermon, Palmon and FanBeemon can carry people once they Digivolve. If we're still stretched for wing mates, you guys can Connect Jump into our Stylers like at Daybreak Ruins."

"Not that again…" Fei groaned.

Rand nodded. "The incident with the Staraptor has convinced me to increase my patrols. I'd like to ask the rest of you to protect Articuno."

"I'll go grab Date and help you with that." Matayoshi nodded.

Nema smiled. "I'll do my best too!"

"So where is Sophian Island?" Yuugo asked.

"Far to the north of Renbow Island." Kyoko replied. "Leanne tells me it's the largest island in all of Oblivia."

"Okay." Ben looked at his team. "Everyone ready?"

Takumi nodded. "This time we will stop Red Eyes. Once and for all."

* * *

**So next up is Sophian Island where a lot goes down. After that we'll be seeing the end of arc #1. See ya next week.**


	25. Chapter 25: The Aqua Resort

**Following a clue in the form of a rug owned by Rand and Leanne, the team sets out to Aqua Resort located on Sophian Island, hoping to intecept Red Eyes before he can carry out his plan.**

* * *

"Ah!" Summer sighed in delight as she was in the sky with her Staraptor. "The thrill of the sky, how I missed you so!"

Lillymon was holding Ami while flying nearby. Takumi, Nokia, Agumon and Gabumon were on Rapidmon. Fei, Guilmon and Yuuko were ridding Waspmon. Arata and Yuugo were in Ben and Summer's Stylers along with their Digimon via the Connect Jump. "Don't go too far ahead, Summer." Ami said.

"No use telling her that." Ben chuckled. "She and her friend Wendy live for ridding their Staraptors."

"Yup!" Summer then flew right in front of Ben who yelped as she started circling around him, looping multiple times in different angles. He and Pichu braced themselves, expecting to crash into her.

"How many times have I asked you not to do that?" Ben groaned.

Summer laughed. "I dunno. Five? Ten? Maybe a hundred."

"Alright, guys, enough screwing around." Arata said. "We're approaching the area Sophian Island should be at."

Summer looked ahead. "Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?" Nokia asked.

"It's really far away, but something is flying with incredible speed!"

"I can see it too." Ben said. "Let's get closer!"

Up ahead two Pinchers were chasing a blue and a red flying Pokemon. "We're not going to let you escape! How dare you send one of our Z.Z. Flyers into the sea?"

"The number of Pokemon that have escaped from our Z.Z. Flyers is…very few!"

The Voice Nav. on Ben's Styler activated. **"Based on the signal it is apparently a Z.Z. Flyer."**

"Z.Z. Flyers?" Arata asked from Ben's Styler. "That can only mean one thing. Pinchers. So, they're already here."

"**Confirmed the presence of two Z.Z. Flyers. Also, there are lifeform readings of two Pokemon. The Pokemon are…Latios and Latias."**

Summer gasped. "The legendary Pokemon Latios and Latias?! This is serious! Let's go after them!"

As they hurried on ahead Ben thought to himself. _"Latios…Latias…Those are the Pokemon I saw when I came to this region. The Pinchers are after them, but not the other legendries?"_

Meanwhile the Pinchers were still hot on the Pokemon's trails. "They fly so elegantly! Somehow, I feel like we are barely slowing it down."

"Hey! Come on! Don't get so serious!"

Latios and Latias started to pick up speed, and in a matter of seconds were out of sight.

"That's some amazing flying ability."

The other Pincher nodded. "These Z.Z. Flyers aren't exactly slow. What can I use to vent this frustration at not being able to exact revenge for my teammate?"

"Stop right there!" Summer was the first to catch up to them. Ben and the others came close behind.

One of the Pinchers smirked. "Nice! I've found a place to vent some aggression!"

"I'll let our Pokemon use our frustration and take it out on you!"

"Guys! Be careful. Something's coming." Summer warned. 9 Wingull suddenly charged at them.

"Incoming!" Ben yelled. Pichu fired a Thundershock at one of them, knocking it out of the sky. Four of them came from behind Fei and Yuuko.

"Waspmon!"

"Turbo Stinger!" Fei's Digimon shot blue projectiles at them, taking down four at once. Ben and Summer each caught two with their Stylers.

"You ready to give up yet?" Ben smirked. Three Pelipper came in next. "I'll take that as a no."

As they shot Water Guns, the Ranger's and Pokemon maneuvered around the attacks. Lillymon got her sights locked on one of them. "Brace yourself Ami!"

"For whAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Without much warning, Lillymon threw her as high up into the air as she could so she had her hands free. "Flower Cannon!" She shot one of the Pelipper. As it went down Lillymon caught Ami.

"Can you give me a proper warning next time?" Ami muttered as she tried to get her bearings.

"Heh, heh…sorry."

Suddenly a gust of wind hit Waspmon in the back. He spun out of control causing Yuuko and Guilmon to fall off. "Yuuko!" Fei and Waspmon dove after them.

Ben looked behind him to see what hit them. It was a fourth Pelipper. "Another one?!"

As Yuuko fell, Guilmon leaned to try to get closer. _"No! I can't fail this time! I couldn't protect Yuuko from Rie or the Pinchers! I can't let that happen again!"_

Yuuko looked up at her Digimon as she fell. "Guilmon!" Her eyes glowed white. As did her Digivce. _"I can feel Guilmon's determination! Is this power…?" _Text appeared on the screen of her Digivice as she held it up.

DIGIVOLUTION

A white light fired from it and enveloped Guilmon before a bright shell formed around him. "Guilmon Warp Digivolve to…" briefly the image of GeoGreymon appeared in the shell before it expanded. When it exploded Guilmon looked like GeoGreymon but the brown skull was a grey metal with orange hair coming out the back. He had some king of red jetpack with mechanical wings, and a cannon on his left arm. "RizeGreymon!"

With incredible speed it dashed to Yuuko and caught her. "RizeGreymon…" Yuuko smiled. "It's been a long time since I saw you in this form."

"I didn't think I'd use it again after becoming Gaiomon."

Fei caught up to them on Waspmon. "Yuuko! Are you alright?!"

"I am. Come on, the others need us."

"Right." RizeGreymon flew straight back up to where the others were fighting the three Pelipper.

Ami looked at them amazed. "Yuuko! You Digivolved your Digimon to Ultimate!"

Summer looked at her Styler. "RizeGreymon. Ultimate Level Vaccine Digimon the barrel of it's weapon is made of Chrome Digizoid to help it withstand it's own power."

RizeGreymon took aim with his cannon arm. "Trident Revolver!" He shot three orange blasts at the bird Pokemon and they were knocked out.

The Pinchers returned them to their Control Gauntlets. "Shoot! What the heck is that thing and why is it so dang powerful?!"

"Now spill it!" Ben growled. "I thought your targets were the legendary birds! Why go after Latios and Latias all of the sudden?!"

"We're just trying to teach Latios and Latias a lesson for randomly charging at the Pinchers! What's wrong with that?!"

"As long as they're in the sky, they get in the way. Zooming around as if to laugh at us!" They then flew off.

"I got them." RizeGreymon said as he aimed for their Z.Z. Flyers.

"No, wait!" Summer yelled. "You'll vaporize them! And the Pokemon they're carrying!"

Yuuko nodded. "Let them go. For now."

Ami glanced at Ben. "So those were legendary Pokemon they were chasing?"

"Yeah. When I first arrived to Oblivia with Summer, the Pinchers were chasing Latios and Latias."

"I'm interested in why they said that Latios and Latias were getting in their way." Summer said.

"I am too." Takumi nodded. "But we have our priorities right now. Red Eyes is getting closer to Articuno with every passing second."

"Man. Someone's more serious than normal." Arata replied.

"I won't let him get away with what he's doing! Whatever it is!"

Yuuko glanced up ahead. "Takumi is right. Latios and Latias can clearly take care of themselves. For now, we have to head to Aqua Resort."

Summer nodded. "Alright. Let's go, Staraptor!" They hurried on ahead to their destination.

Summer jumped from her Staraptor and landed on the stone port of Aqua Resort. Ben landed his Staraptor next to her. The others came on their Digimon who converted back to their Rookie forms. Once everyone was on land Arata and Yuugo came out of Ben and Summer's Stylers. Amilooked around. "This must be the port at the Aqua Resort."

"What a nice place." Yuugo smiled. "It has such a calm air to it."

"I saw you!" A young girl with blond hair dressed in white and blue walked over to them. She had a hat that looked like a Wingull. "You looked so cool fighting in the sky I was jealous of how you and Staraptor were one." She then turned to Guilmon. "And I've never seen a Pokemon evolve so suddenly like that!"

"We are Digimon." Guilmon replied.

"Oh! He can talk too!" she then looked at everyone. "You love flying, don't you?"

"Absolutely!" Summer smiled.

"It was kinda scary at first, but I thought it was fun." Nokia added.

"I could go without someone tossing me like a ball." Ami glanced at her giggling Palmon before adding "But I feel so free up there."

The girl gleamed. "I knew it! That's what I thought. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always been staring at the sky. Then at some point, I became able to share my feelings of friendship with bird Pokemon."

"Without a Styler or anything?" Ben asked. "That's some connection."

"I'm moved by the bond you share with bird Pokemon and these Digimon of yours, so I'll introduce my friends." The girl looked into the sky. She took out a flute with a propeller and blew into it. The propeller spun as it played music. Shortly after a Skarmory flew over to her and hovered over the water. Then a Staravia joined it. Followed by a Pidgeotto. "Everyone! These people are lovers of the sky! And two of them are flying Rangers!"

"Oh! Those are the Pokemon we just saw in the sky!" Summer smiled.

"Today is just an introduction! See you later!" The girl waved the Pokemon off as they departed. She then turned back to Ben and the others. "Pokemon that you have captured in the sky will gather here. If you want them to come with you, come talk to me."

"So, if we come here and ask for your help, we can get the Pokemon that live in the sky to join us on our mission? Thanks!" Ben smiled.

"That's cool!" Nokia chirped. "You're like the Pied Piper of birds!"

"Pied...Piper?" The girl asked. "I don't understand…Oh, that's right. My name is Supurna. I'm sure you can tell from my look that I love bird Pokemon. Nice meeting you."

"You too." Summer waved.

Once the team was inside the plaza they took in the sights. The stone paved area had a fountain at the center and all the houses were well built and colored. The river flowed into the town. Summer smiled. "Wow! Now this is a resort!"

"Yeah!" Nokia looked at the flowing water. "You don't see things like this a lot in the city!"

"My, my dears. What unique fashion sense." A woman with purple hair walked over to them interested in Ben and Summer. "Are those kinds of clothes popular with kids in the cities now?"

"This is a Pokemon Ranger uniform." Summer said.

"That means that you two are Pokemon Rangers? That's great for ones so young." She then glanced at Pichu. "And this little cutie carrying a ukulele. Perfect for a resort."

"Pichu!" the Pokemon twanged his instrument.

"My, my, how wonderful. I've taken a shine to you. This city of water is called the Aqua Resort. Many people from other regions who are tired of city life come here looking for a elegant, laid-back lifestyle. I happen to be one of them."

"I can see the appeal." Yuuko said. "Everything seems so…relaxed out here."

"What brings you to the Aqua Resort?"

"Actually, we're looking for someone." Takumi said. "Do you know anything about a rug weaver around here?"

"These is one in this city. The rugs he makes have a very old design, but they are very well made."

"That has to be the guy who made that rug at Rand's place." Arata said. "Know where we can find him?"

The woman pointed. "Walk a little to the west of here and you will see a rather plain-looking house for being in the Aqua Resort. That has been the traditional residence of the weavers."

"Thank you very much!" Summer smiled. "Umm…Excuse me, what was your name?"

"I'm called Kasa. It's a nickname from when I was younger."

"I see." Ben nodded. "Well, thanks for the help, Kasa. We appreciate it."

"She's pretty fashionable for her age." Nokia said as they walked away.

"She said a lot of people who are tired of the city come here." Yuugo added. "The residence will probably be those of older age looking for a place to retire."

"That must be the place." Ben said pointing to an old looking house.

They walked inside. "Excuse me! Is anybody home?" Summer looked around. "Hello?"

"Nobody is here." Takumi said.

"Maybe he went out somewhere." Gabumon added.

Nokia looked at the blue rug laid out in front of them. "Hey, look! That's the same rug Rand has!"

Takumi looked at the bird on it. "Well, then this has to be the right place. But until the weaver comes back, we can't find out anything."

"Well, no use standing around here." Fei said. "Come on. Maybe we can find him outside."

Ben nodded. "Good idea."

"How should we find him?" Summer asked as they walked out. "Should we walk around yelling, "Weeeaver!" Or something like that?"

"Hey, that could work! We'll give it a try!" Nokia took a deep breath with her hands at the sides of her mouth.

"NO!" Arata immediately put a hand over her mouth. "We will not."

"Well, now. And you are?" A familiar man walked over to them.

"Oh! You must be the rug weaver!" Summer said.

"No, that's Doctor Edward!" Ben said.

"You know him?"

"Pichu!" Ben's partner nodded.

"Ah, the Ranger and his friends. We met in Cocona Village and Tilt Village."

"Summer, Yuuko, you haven't met him yet, but this is Edward." Ami said. "He goes around all over Oblivia to help those in need."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Mine too, Edward. I offer an apology for making a strange assumption." Summer bowed her head.

"Please don't worry about it. There are many elderly people in the Aqua Resort, so it is my duty as a doctor to make calls to everyone's houses like this."

"Sounds exhausting."

"It's an omen, an omen! An omen of somthin' terr'ble!" Everyone turned to the north exit of town and saw an elderly man run up. Two other people were there.

"What's that 'bout ramen?"

"I said omen! I was takin' a walk, and when I looked at the flow of the river, from upstream the Great Suicine came runnin' on the surface of the water, and he looked mighty angry."

Takumi looked back at the group. "Suicune…Didn't Kyoko say that was the third in Raikou and Entei's trinity?"

"I was so frightened, I squeezed my eyes shut, and without even thinkin' 'bout it, started singn' Suicine's song." The man cleared his throat. "A wide, wide river blocks the way. If you can cross, go ahead I say. The raging river likes to roar, "No one can reach my other shore!" What nonsense speaks the silly river? For Great Suicune, it's just one step. Hero on its back, just one step." The man looked back north. "When I finished singin' and opened my eyes, the Great Suicune was already gone."

An elderly woman rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly, dear. Suicune has always protected the Canal Ruins. There's no way it would leave that place."

"It's because somthin' impossible has happened. That's why I'm sayin' that this is an evil omen!"

"If you're mad enough to shout, go talk to Weber. He knows lots 'bout Suicune. Today's Weber's day off from makin' rugs, so he's probably left for the Canal Ruins in the river."

"Weber, must be the weaver we're looking for!" Terriermon said.

"Then let's go find him at this Canal Ruins." Yuugo said.

"Affirmative." Hagurumon replied. "The man's story indicates Canal Ruins can be found by the river."

"If what that old man says is true, I'm worried about Suicune." Ben said. He then turned to Edward. "Do you by any chance know anything about Canal Ruins?"

"I've heard that those Canal Ruins are a place where humans should not enter. It's a very strange place where even if surrounding areas are sunny, rain will fall there. If you're going there, be careful."

"Got it. Thanks." Ben looked at his team. "Come on guys, let's go!"

* * *

As soon as they hurried north, out of the Aqua Resort, the team followed a trail that soon forked. "Let's follow the river." Ben said, going left. But they soon found the trail cut off by the river itself.

"The current is fast…" Summer said. "Maybe Raikou can jump the river."

"Right." Ben took out his Styler.

"If we're taking out Raikou I'd better Digivolve." Terriermon said. "As Rapidmon I can keep up no problem."

Takumi walked over to him. "It might be a bit rash to use and Ultimate Level Digimon right off the bat. I've got a better idea. When Nema was pooling the data we got from fighting Red Eyes' Digimon, it looked like Ami and I got some new forms for you and Palmon to use."

"Oh boy!" Terriermon was jumping up and down with excitement. "Well, don't just stand there! Let's try it, let's try it!"

Takumi laughed. "Alrighty then."

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Digivolve to…" a shell of light engulfed Takumi's Digimon and when he came out, he was a Pegasus with blond hair, black wings, and a red helmet. "Unimon!"

Takumi got a look at his partner's new form through his Digivice. "Unimon. Champion Level Vaccine with the horn of the unicorn and the wings of the Pegasus."

With Ben Summer, and Yuugo on Raikou, Yuuko and Fei on Waspmon, and Takumi, Ami, and Arata on Unimon, everyone continued down the path. Soon they noticed it was pouring and stopped.

Summer looked up. "How strange. Even though it's sunny everywhere else, it's raining here."

"Just like Edward said." Ami noted. "This must be the entrance to the Canal Ruins, where Suicune is."

"Pichu!" Pichu got everyone's attention and directed themselves towards where he was looking.

Ben narrowed his eyes. "Hey, who is that?" He climbed off of Raikou and ran over to him with Summer.

The young man looked at them. "That outfit…You two are Pokemon Rangers, huh?"

"Would you happen to be Weber?" Ben asked.

"No, no. That's not me. Actually, there's a problem! Not far from here, a suspicious- looking bunch that controls Pokemon is fighting with Suicune!"

"What?!" Takumi asked as he ran over. "Were they ridding strange vehicles?"

"That's right! They were ridding big, saucer-shaped things."

Ami ran up next. "Then it's got to be the Pinchers! Where are they now?!"

"They ignored me completely and flew west along the riverbank! Weber ran after them to try to stop them…"

"Weber? This is bad!" Ben growled.

"You know Weber?"

"Not exactly. We haven't met him yet, but we have some questions to ask him about his rugs."

"I see. And so, you came here looking for Weber. He has a strong sense of justice, so I hope he hasn't having it out with those bad guys from just now…"

"Why are the Pinchers messing with Suicune anyway?" Nokia asked. "I thought they were after Articuno."

"If Suicune is like Entei and Raikou, then that must mean it has a monument." Takumi said. "So, if the Pinchers are after him, that means they don't have the emblem yet! If we hurry, we can secure it before they can get their hands on it and keep Red Eyes away from Articuno!"

"Then we can't just stand here!" Summer said. "We have to protect Weber and Suicune from the Pinchers."

"Right!" Ben nodded. "There's no time to waste!"

He and Summer performed their posses. "Mission on!"

"No time to waste" he said before wasting time to pose." Arata muttered.

"Hey, it's part of Ranger protocol!" Summer replied.

"Why?"

"I've heard that Rangers work with Pokemon to solve problems, but the Pokemon in this area are shy or something. Many hide in grass or in the top of trees." The man said.

"Is that so?" Summer asked. "If that's the case…When we need help from those Pokemon…"

"We just need to make some noise and startle them out." Ami suggested.

"How about Nokia's big mouth?" Arata asked from on Unimon.

"Shut it, super jerk!" the girl pouted.

The young man looked at Ben's companions. "Is that…The legendary Raikou?!"

"Sure is." Summer replied.

"Hmmm…When Suicune roared a second ago, some surprised Pokemon popped out. Maybe Raikou can do the same thing!"

"We'll give it a shot. Thanks for the tip." Ben smiled. He and Summer got back on Raikou as Ami and Takumi board Unimon and they hurried on ahead. After Raikou jumped the river again, and Unimon flew after them, Ben stopped them.

"I hear something." He looked to the side. "It came from that bush…Raikou!"

The Pokemon roared and a scared Forretress jumped out of the bush. "Man, he looks spooked." Unimon said. "Must be from when Suicune came by."

Ben turned to his partner. "Hey Pichu, can you play a soothing melody for the poor thing?"

"Pi!" Pichu jumped onto Ben's shoulder and took out his ukulele. He played a relaxing tune Ben then looped his Styler around it until it was tamed.

"There we go."

"Hey Ben." Takumi pointed to an unstable looking wall. "Maybe he can knock that thing down."

"We might need a little more force for the job."

Ami climbed off Unimon. "Then I guess now's a good time to try out a new trick! Palmon!"

Ami's Digimon landed next to her. "Right!"

DIGIVOLUTION

"Palmon Digivolve to…" Ami's Digimon became a brown large tree. "Woodmon!"

Nokia scanned it. "Woodmon. Champion Level Data. It's strong tree trunk gives it high defense."

"Alrighty then!" Ben said. "Forretress, Double Edge!"

The Bug/Steel type rammed its body into the stone. "Branch Drain!" Woodmon punched it at the same time. The stone toppled over.

"Thanks." Ben waked off the Forretress.

Takumi turned to the Ranger. "Hey, Ben, maybe we should proceed on foot for now. With all this rain and the canal, somebody could get hurt if Raikou goes wild."

"Good point." Everyone dismounted Raikou before it ran off. "Thanks Raikou!"

"Okay, let's get going." Ami said.

* * *

**If anyone was wondering what that bit at the beguiling of the chapter was, it's called playing to much Fire Emblem Three Houses and getting adicted to those introductions to the post time skip chapters. In fact, I'm putting up more for all the previous chapters as well because why not. So picture if you will a giant map of Oblivia and a figurine representing Ben and whatnot moving around it.**


	26. Chapter 26: The Underwater Emblem

**Upon arriving to Aqua Resort, Ben and his friends search for Weber to learn more about Articuno, only to discover he chassed after the Pinchers who were in the middle of a scuffle with Suicune. The teams wastes no time as they head out for Canal Ruins.**

* * *

Three Pinchers on Z.Z. Flyers surrounded a blue Pokemon with a purple back. It stood on the river like it was solid ground. "Show-off, all running on top of the water. But there's nowhere left to run! Prepare yourself!"

"What are you doing?! Stop this instant!" Summer yelled.

As Ben and the others hurried over, the Pinchers turned to face them. "Why are there Rangers here?! This is what those who interfere get!"

A Yanmega and Dodrio came running down the path towards them. Takumi turned to the Yanmega. "Get em, Unimon!"

"Holy Shot!" Takumi's Digimon charged a blue sphere of light in his mouth before firing into the bug type, knocking it backwards.

Summer pressed a button on her Styler and her Partner came out. "It's been a while since we last got in a fight, Staraptor, so be carful. Here goes! Arial Ace!"

Her bird Pokemon charged and rammed its beak into Yamega before flying straight up. "Don't take that lying down!" the Pincher ordered. "Air Slash!"

With the flap of it's wings, Yamega shot blade after blade of wind at Staraptor who dodge the attacks.

Meanwhile Arata took Keramon out of his Digivice and looked at Dodrio. "Hey, Ben. Bird Pokemon are typically weak to electricity, right?"

"That's right."

"In that case…"

DIGIVOLUTION

"Keramon Digivolve to…Wizardmon!"

"Alright." Arata looked at his target. "Let's light em up!"

Wizardmon held up his staff. "Thunder Cloud!" Bright sparks emitted from it and shocked Dodrio.

"Pichu!"

Ben's partner played his ukulele, sending sparks everywhere upon doing so. Both the opposing Pokemon were zapped. Fei snapper her fingers. "Oh, Waspmon."

"Turbo Stinger!" Waspmon shot blue needles that knocked them down. Ben and Summer finished the capture and the Pokemon left.

"Oh no…"

"It looks like we have to retreat for now!" the Pinchers flew away.

"That's the end of that." Wizardmon said. "Now for the mater of-

Suicune roared as it ran off on the water. "Oh, Suicune! Wait!" Summer ran to the edge of the lake.

Arata was barely able to scan it before it was out of sight. "Suicune. Water Type. It is said to be the embodiment of the north winds and can instantly purify murky water. Heh. Our world could use one of those."

"So, the Pinchers really are after Suicune." Takumi said. "We have to stop them."

"Uh, Takumi? What about Weber?" Ami asked.

Ben looked around. "I don't see him anywhere. Let's just worry about the Pinchers for now."

Yuugo nodded. "I agree. One thing at a time."

Everyone hurried on ahead. After using Staraptor, Unimon and Waspmon to cross the river one more time they came across what appeared to be an entrance to underground ruins. "I think they went in there." Takumi said. "Come on." One by one they came inside.

"Huh?" Summer looked around. "Suicune and the Pinchers are gone. I was sure they were headed in this direction…"

"Hey, look!" Ami walked over to the nearby staircase and saw that the area below was submerged in water. "Do you think they went down there?"

The Voice Nav. on Ben's Styler activated. **"Picking up a signal resembling a Z.Z. Flyer. It's coming from underground."**

"More like underwater." Arata said.

"**However, no trace of Suicune has been confirmed."**

"A Z.Z. Flyer is down there?" Ami asked. "I guess the only way we can now for sure is by going down there."

Summer stood in front of the stairs. "It looks like it's pretty deep. Maybe it's a lake under the ground."

Nokia raised an eyebrow at her. "Huh?"

"In other words, a subterranean lake."

"Double huh?"

"Well seeing how we don't know what's down there for sure, I think it would be smarter to send a small team down for now." Yuuko suggested.

Summer nodded and put on her Aqua Lung. "Good idea. Ami and I will go check it out. The rest of you please look for Suicune above ground."

"Uh, not all of us have air masks." Ami said. "And what about my Woodmon?"

"I'm made of data, Ami. I don't need oxygen."

"Oh yeah…Hey…Wait a minute…"

Takumi looked at his sister as she pondered. "What's up Ami?"

"Hang on, I want to try something." She slowly walked to the stairs and stepped into the water. She descended them down deeper until she was submerged. She shortly after came out hacking and spitting out water. "Gah! *cough* Okay…Didn't work."

"What didn't?" Takumi asked.

"I thought- She interrupted herself with another gasp. "I thought since I'm a half cyber entity I could breath in the water like a Digimon. But I guess I'm still half human…"

"I take it the answer is no." Arata sighed. "You and your cray ideas."

"Thought it was worth a shot…"

Ben walked over to Ami and put his Aqualung on her. "Here." He pressed a button and air started poring out onto her face. "That should do it."

"Thanks."

Summer's partner stared into the hole uneasily. "That's right, you don't like water, do you, Staraptor?" Summer looked sadly at him.

"Well then, why don't you come and look for Suicune with us?" Ben offered. Staraptor nodded.

"Okay. We'll meet back here later." Takumi said.

"Good luck!" Summer waved the others off as they left.

Ami took out her Digivice. "If it's just going to be the three of us alone, we're gonna have to go all out. Woodmon! Convert back to Palmon so we can put you in Ultimate form!"

"Okay!" The Digimon went back to her base Rookie form.

DIGIVOLUTION

A blue shell formed around Palmon. "Palmon Warp Digivolve to…" Momentary the image of Togamon could be seen in the shell. But when it burst, Palmon was in her Ultimate form. "Lillymon!"

"Okay! We're good to go!"

Once the girls put on their goggles, Ami dove back into the water. Lillymon and Summer followed. Once they were underwater, they were surrounded by underwater ruins. "Amazing…" Lillymon looked around. "So, this must be Canal Ruins. It's like a city underwater."

Ami nodded. "Yeah. It's as if we found Atlantis."

Summer eyed her curiously. "Atlantis?"

"It's a myth in my world. Supposable an ancient city was washed away by the waves and became part of the sea floor. I wonder if this place was a city on land long ago…"

"Good question. But it'll have to wait. We need to find those Z.Z. Flyers fast."

"Right!"

Two Huntail came towards them. "Look out!" Lillymon flew over to them and kicked one into a wall.

"Oh, great." Summer groaned. "The Pokemon here and agitated. That proves those Pinchers were here doing their job. Capture on!"

She shot her Styler at the one Lillymon wasn't fighting. The Huntail angerly chased it, as she drew her Capture line. It got a bite or two in, but the Styler held strong as Summer continued her capture. They it shot whirpools around it, that flung Summer and Ami further away.

It tried to close in on them while they were dazed, but then the other Huntail flew into it. "Hah!" Lillymon smirked. "How do ya like that! Summer, now!"

Straightening herself, Summer drew the last couple of loops around both of them, taming them both at once. "Thanks for the assist." Summer swam over to the Huntail. "It's okay. We don't want to hurt you. But we need to find the bad guys. Have you seen them?"

The Huntail swam downwards. "I think they're trying to tell us to follow them." Ami said. "Come on."

They swam after the Huntail until they stopped near a wall with a thin hole that looked like it was just big enough to fit a person. On the other end, two Pinchers on Z.Z. Flyers with Aqualungs.

"According to the aboveground team, Rangers and those "Cyber Sleuths" our leader told us about have arrived at the ruins. But even if a Ranger or a Sleuth does come diving in the underground lake, if we do this, there's no way they'll get through." One of them threw two orange devices with hooks on each end. They extended into metal poles that became bars, blocking the hole.

"If nothing else, it will buy us some time, won't it, sir?"

"Hey, look at that!" Summer and Ami swam over. "Speak of the Ranger!"

"Doing this was the right move, wasn't it, sir?"

They laughed as their Z.Z. Flyers propelled them deeper inside the ruins. "Darn it!" Ami pulled on the bars. "Now what?"

"Hmm…What we need right now is a Gorebyss. Maybe two. They could cut through these things no problem." Summer replied.

"Then let's find some." Lillymon replied. "What do they look like?"

"Long and pink fish."

"Hey, look!" Ami pointed to two Gorebyss.

"That's convenient. Come on!" They swam towards the Pokemon but as soon as they were spotted they swam away. "After them!"

They kept going as fast as they could, but the Pokemon were far faster. They kept going to the point where they started looping around the room.

"Wait!" After the third loop Summer stopped, as she tired down. "This is getting nowhere…We'll never catch them like this."

"Wait…" Ami looked up and saw part of a broken pillar hanging from the ceiling. "I got an idea! Lillymon, can you break that off?"

"Sure thing! Flower Cannon!" She shot at the ceiling and the pillar came crashing down, blocking off the pathway at the bottom of the room.

"What was that for?" Summer asked.

"You'll see! Come on! Let's get after them!"

The kept swimming and soon saw the Gorebyss again. Upon being seen they swam away, and Summer and Ami kept on them. But shortly after they stopped went hey found the pillar Lillymon broke off blocking their way forward.

Summer came up from behind. "I see! Capture on!" The Gorebyss were too scared to do anything. Summer caught them with little difficulty, and they calmed down before swimming over to her. Summer looked at her friend and petted her new friend Pokemon. "Smart thinking Ami! I guess that's a Cyber Sleuth for ya!"

"Heh, heh."

They then went back to where the Anchor Wires were placed. "Here goes! Clamp!" The two Pokemon pit the wires and they immediately snapped. "Thank you!" Summer waved as the Gorebyss left. "Now let's get after those Pinchers!"

One by one Summer, Ami and Lillymon squeezed into the gap and saw a hole on the floor. Ami swan through. "Come on! They must have gone this way!"

They soon saw the Pinchers again. They were using their Plasma Cannons to blast a hole through the rocky formation big enough for them to go into. "Only a little farther to the Involith Suicune was protecting."

"The fact that Suicune hasn't come back must mean that things are going great with the aboveground team." He then spotted Summer and Ami approaching. "Hey! It's those girls from before! What should we do, sir?"

"Pull yourself together. There's one Ranger and one Sleuth, but there are two of us as well. Let's go!"

Now filled with confidence his colleague turned around to face them. Ami chuckled. "Uh…your "boss" just ran off."

He turned around and saw the other Pincher going deeper in. "Th-that's what you meant, sir?!" His Z.Z. Flyer followed him.

"Come on! We can't let them get away!" Lillymon said.

"I know!" Summer nodded as she grabbed onto a Huntail. "Ami, come on!"

Ami grabbed onto the other Huntail and the Pokemon carried them faster. As they followed they spotted one of the Pinchers fleeing. He glanced back and yelped before he pressed a button on one of his Z.Z. Flyers handles. Small mines came out.

"Hold on tight!" Summer warned. The Huntails carrying them spun away from the attacks while continuing their pursuit.

"No, no, no, no, no!" The Pincher turned around and fired red energy shots franticly while moving backwards.

"Gia Element!" Lillymon threw a green sphere, that pierced through the attack. The Pincher narrowly dodged it and looked behind him to see it blast off a chunk of the rock formation. Just as he looked back at Ami and Summer they were inches away with their angry Huntai glaring at him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Meanwhile at the bottom of the ruins the other Pincher was in front of a monument with a hole in the center. He held the piece that was missing from it in his hand.

"So, this is the Emblem…" he heard someone approach from behind. "You're too slow, I finished the job myself just now. We lost them, right?"

"Nope."

The Pincher whirled around and saw Ami, Lillymon and Summer right behind him. The Pincher slowly caught up to them with the Huntail gnawing at his shirt. "I'm sorry sir! Forgive me sir!"

"Did they catch up with you?! Well, there's no other option now! Pokemon! Take these kids out!" A Seadra and a Relicanth came out of hiding and rammed into the Huntail, scaring them away.

"Oh, boy! Here comes more trouble!" Lillymon said. "Flower Cannon!" She fired a green blast at the Relicanth that knocked it out instantly. Summer backed away a bit from the Seadra before launching her Styler at it and drawing loops.

The Sedra shot a Bubblebeam at the capture line, breaking it. Then Lilymon charged at I from behind and kicked it in the back. While stunned, Summer finished her capture and the Pokemon left. "Ha! Childs play!" Ami laughed as she and Summer hi fived.

One of the Pinchers trembled. "N-now what do we do, boss?"

The other man sighed. "That's why you're the grunt." A smirk rose to his face. "Ya gotta make sure you have a backup plan."

Ami rolled her eye. "Let me guess, you're gonna try to run away again?"

"Nope. Wrap!"

"What?"

"KYA!"

Ami and Summer looked behind them and saw Lillymon struggling in the grip of a Tentacrul. Despite her flailing it soon got a firm grip on her wrists and ankles with its tentacles.

"Lillymon! EEEK!" The moment she was distracted, another Tentacrul grabbed Ami's hands and feet from behind.

Summer pointed her Styler at Tentacrul. "Capture o-AHH!" Another tentacle grabbed her wrists from behind and pulled them behind her back.

The Pincher laughed. "There! That was my back up plan!"

In time all three girls had their wrists bound together behind their backs and their ankles together. Their midsections were wrapped as swell, making it harder to breath. "Darn it! Let go!" Lillymon yelled, still struggling.

Summer bucked about, but couldn't get lose. "Ngh! What's going on?! I didn't see any Tentacrul or even Tentacool in this area!"

"That's because I brought these guys over from a different area I was in! We're called Pinchers for a reason in case you've forgotten!"

Ami glared at him, but then saw something behind him. "The Monument!" she was alarmed when she saw the hole in it.

The Pincher held up the Emblem and faced his college. "Well, we got what we came for and nabbed some snooping brats! I'd say this mission was a complete success."

"You said it boss! But what will we do with the three of them?"

"Let's get back to the surface and check on the aboveground team. Then we'll figure that out."

The Pinchers then made their way back to the surface. The Tentacrul followed them with their captives struggling the whole way, leading them to tightening their grip.

"Ow, ow, ow! Don't squeeze!" Ami yelped.

Summer shrieked as the grip made it a bit hard to breath. _"How could I let this happen? Not only do they have the Emblem, but I let myself get captured again…Ben…I'm sorry…"_

* * *

Once they came out of the water, the Pinchers removed their air masks and watched the Tentacrul come out, carrying Summer, Ami and Lillymon.

One of the Pincher pulled down, Ami and Summer's Agualungs, leaving them to dangle around their necks and lifted their goggles so they were at their foreheads so he could look at them in the eye. "I heard there were more of you twerps. Where are the others?"

Lillymon stuck her tongue at him. "You're smart, figure it out!"

"Hello?" the other Pincher was speaking into his gauntlet. "Yeah, we got the Emblem. And get this, we also nabbed a Ranger and one of those Cyber sues."

"Sleuths!" Ami yelled.

"Whatever, just put a sock in it! Sorry, sorry not you pal! I was talking to the brat!"

"You think that's sad, on his first day this dope spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to use his Control Gauntlet on a stuffed doll thinking it was a real Pokemon." the Pincher interrogating Summer and Ami whispered.

"Seriously?" Summer chuckled. "That reminds me of a Ranger named Crawford."

The other Pincher didn't notice. "How are things on your end? Wait what?"

The other Pincher turned to him. "What's going on?"

The Pincher turned around. "The others are in trouble! Suicune is getting really angry! And to make maters worse they're also being chased by the other Ranger and his Cyber Sleuths!" he then glanced at Ami. "There, I said it right this time, happy now?"

"Get this squid to stop constricting my breathing so much and I might be." Ami muttered, still trying to squirm out of her Tentacrul's grasp.

"No that's Wrap! Constrict is another move!"

The lead Pincher rolled his eyes. "Tell them to lead them here! I got an idea!"

"Okay. The boss said lure them over here, he has a plan!"

"What are you doing?" Ami asked.

"Oh, not much." The boss grinned. "Just using you kids as hostages."

"What?!"

"_Not again! I've got to do something! Wait…" _Summer spotted two Lombre cowering in a corner.

As the Pinchers walked outside, Lillymon and Ami continued struggling as they were carried by the Tentacrul. But Summer tried to get a good look at her wrists, behind her back.

* * *

"Back to the ruins! Quick!"

Two Pinchers on Z.Z. Flyers were flying as fast as they could go. Suicune was hot on their heels. And behind Suicune was Takumi and Arata on Unimon. Nokia was ridding Garurumon, with Greymon following them, Ben was on Summer's Staraptor, Yuugo was on Guardromon and Fei and Yuuko were on Waspmon.

"Did I hear that right? Back to the ruins?" Takumi asked. "What are they doing?"

"We'll find out when we get there!" Ben said.

Soon the Pinchers landed in front of the entrance to the ruins. The other two stood their waiting with their hostages. "Alright, we're here. Now what?"

"Where's Suicune?" one of them asked. The legendary Pokemon landed in front of them growling. "Okay. And the Ranger and his friends?"

"We won't let you get away, Pinchers!" Ben jumped of off Unimon and landed nearby with Pichu.

"Pichu, Pichu!"

"Don't try anything funny!" the apparent boss smirked as the others landed. He pointed a thumb at the captured, Summer, Ami and Lillymon.

Ben went pale. "Summer!"

Takumi jumped off Unimon. "Ami!"

Summer's Staraptor cried out in distress at the sight of his Ranger in peril.

"I'm sorry, guys, we failed." Ami said in shame. "They got the Emblem…"

"What?!"

"Stay where you are!" The Pincher yelled moment Takumi took a step forward. "Or the princesses over here suffer!" The Tentacrul them squeezed their victims harder, making them scream.

Summer gritted her teeth and looked over her shoulder. To everyone else it looked like she was trying to squirm out of her binds. But in actuality she was only trying to move her right wrist. _"Come on…Almost there…"_

"You cowards!" Arata yelled. "Put them down this instant!"

"First do something about Suicune and we'll let them go!"

"Now!" On Summer's command the Lombre she saw earlier ran out of the Ruins. "Fury Swipes!"

They slashed their nails at the Tentacrul, holding Lillymon. The Pokemon cried out as it's grip on her weakened. Lillymon immediately noticed and took the chance to kick her legs free from the weakened grip and kick Tentacrul in the face and making it let her arms go.

The Pinchers turned around. "What the-

Lillymon faced the Tentacrul holding Ami. "Flower Cannon!" she shot a green blast at it and knocked it out. Ami dropped to the floor, rubbing her wrists and relishing her freedom. The Lombre attacked the Tentacrul holding Summer, making it let her go. Once they were all free, they ran over to their friends.

"Sis, are you okay?" Takumi asked.

"Yeah." Ami was still rubbing her sore wrists.

"Summer! Are you hurt?" Ben asked.

"I'm fine." Summer turned around to catch her Styler as it flew to her from in the ruins.

"How did you do that?!" One of the Pinchers asked.

"Call it my backup plan, smart guy!" Summer winked. "I'm called a Pokemon Ranger for a reason in case you've forgotten!"

"Yeah! You tell that jerk, girl!" Nokia cheered.

The Pinchers looked at each other. "What should we do? We lost our hostages, Suicune's mad, and the Ranger's are serious!"

"Look for an opportunity and run!"

"If we're going to run, now's the time!" The Pinchers got back on their Z.Z. Flyers and flew off.

"Shaaaooonn! Suicune dashed after them, leaving Takumi and the others in the dust.

"It sure went after those Pinchers with incredible speed." Summer said.

"Yeah, he was on them the whole time." Ben said.

"We gotta go after it!"

"Why?" Fei shrugged. "Let Suicune rip those idiots apart. Saves us the trouble."

"Fei, we can't just leave people to suffer. Even creeps like the Pinchers." Ben objected.

"You Rangers are way too nice. Even to the wrong people. Me? I ain't so soft."

Yuuko nudged her arm. "If Suicune gets to them, you'll miss your chance to get your shots in."

"Let's move people!" Fei ran on ahead.

Summer giggled. "You're quite the motivator, for someone who's normally so quiet Yuuko."

"Yeah, she's the people person of the group." Takumi chuckled. "Anyway, if we're going to have to fight Pinchers and Suicune at the same time, we need some Ultimate fire power."

"I'm with you." Arata said taking out his Digivice. He and Yuuko summoned their Digimon who they Digivolved to their base champion forms ahead of time as Unimon went back to Terriermon.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Warp Digivolve to…Rapidmon!"

"Kurasarimon Digivolve to…Infermon!"

"GeoGreymon Digivolve to… RizeGreymon!"

Ben shot his Styler at the ground. "Something tells me we're going to have to fight a legendary with a legendary. But if Raikou misses and hits the lake, Pokemon inside it could be hurt. And it's not safe with all the eternal rain making the whole area damp. Go, Guardian Sign! Entei come forth!"

The fire type legendary appeared in a burst of flame.

"Ben, Entei's a Fire Type." Summer exclaimed.

"I know, but we're out of options. Come on, let's hurry."


	27. Chapter 27: Suicune the Supreme

**Our heroes' pursuit of the Pokemon Pinchers and their search for Weber lead to an encounter with Suicune. The third legendary Pokemon in Entei and Raikou's trio. The Water Type was guarding the Canal Ruins, that housed another monument at the depths. After stealing the third Emblem, the Pokemon Pinchers fled with Suicune in hot pursuit. Ben and the others not far**** behind.**

* * *

The four Pinchers had Suicune surrounded. Purple lights emanated from their Control Gauntlets, keeping it still. "Phew…It looks like somehow we've got it under control…"

"Even four of us aren't enough to completely control it. What unbelievable power. Now we couldn't run even if we wanted to."

"There they are!" Ben and the others caught up to them. "What are you doing to Suicune?!"

"Sir…Let's send Suicune after the Rangers and run!"

"That's a good idea, but how?"

"How about this? Hey! You guys! We've been waiting! Hurry up and help out! We're all friends here!"

"Friends? What's he yacking about?"

"Oh, great! You already caught Entei! Then hurry up and do something!"

Suicune glared at Ben. "Grrrrr…"

"Suicune! Don't listen to them!" Summer panicked.

"We'll leave the rest to you! Thanks partners!"

The Pinchers released Suicune and fled on their Z.Z. Flyers.

"Shaaaooonn!" Suicune roared in rage and pillars of water rose up.

"Those rotten little…" Takumi growled. "Great, now what?!"

"Okay, that's it, I'm going after those clowns so I can pound the stuffin' outa them." Fei said. "Waspmon!"

"Right! They won't get away!"

"Fei, wait!" Ami yelled. But her warning fell of deaf ears as Waspmon flew away.

"I'll go with her. RizeGreymon!"

"Guardromon!" Yuuko and Yuugo's Digmon flew after them.

"Yuuko! Yuugo!"

"Oh sure." Arata grumbled. "Leave us with the angry mutt." Suicune shot an Aroura Beam towards him.

"Arata!" Infermon shoved his tamer out of the way but took the full blunt of the attack and was frozen in a block of ice.

"I-Infermon!"

Suicune fired another one at Lillymon and Rapidmon, freezing them in a block of ice as well.

"Rapidmon!"

"Lillymon!" Ami and her brother ran over to their Digimon.

"Enteil, thaw them out!" Ben yelled. "Quick!"

Before Ben's Pokemon could even do anything, Suicune charged into it, knocking it over. Entei got back up and pounced at him, but Suicune evaded the attack and shot a blast of water at him.

"He's too fast!"

"Nova Blast!"

"Fox Fire!" Both of Nokia's Digimon fired at Suicune while it's back was turned, making a direct hit. Suicune became even angrier. It surrounded itself with pillars of water that knocked Ben's Styler away when he attempted to catch it.

"Darn it!"

Whirlpools blew towards, Greymon and Garurumon. Both were blown away and flung into a will.

"Greymon! Garurumon!"

"Nokia!" Suicune shot a blast of water, at Nokia. But Takumi pushed her out of the way and took the hit.

Nokia ran to him and knelled down. "T-Takumi, are you alright?!"

"Urgh…Yeah. I'll be fine."

"_Takumi…He's just as brave as ever. Ami too. She didn't even look scared when those Pinchers caught her. I…I need to be like that too! If I can't brave up, I won't be able to protect them!" _Her eyes glowed pink. The same color of light flashed from her Digivice. "RAAAAAAH! I'm not letting any of my friends suffer anymore! This ends now!"

"Looks like Nokia's getting serious." Ami said with a chuckle. "About time."

Nokia held up her Digivice. "Greymon! Garurumon! Let's give it all we've got!"

DIGIVOLUTION

The pink light fired from her Digivice and came down on Greymon and Garurumon. A pink shell formed around each of them.

"Greymon Digivolve to…"

Garurumon Digivolve to…"

When the shells burst, Greymon had a metal skull, a metal plate on his chest, red hair, purple wings and his left arm was a giant metal arm with a claw. Garurumon stood on his hind legs, wearing earrings, blue ripped pants with a skull, and had a spiked brass knuckle on his left hand.

"MetalGreymon!"

"WereGarurumon!"

Summer was in awe. "Nokia's Digimon reached their Ultimate level!" She scanned one of them. "MetalGreymon. Vaccine Ultimate Digimon. More then half of its body is mechanicalized and it wields the "Trident Arm" made of an alloy called Chrome Digizoid."

Ami scanned the other. "WereGarurumon. Vaccine Ultimate. It has enhanced offensive and defensive power and developed a tactical nature."

As Suicune roared, massive pillars of Ice rose up forming a shield around it "Mach Rush!" MetalGreyom charged into it, shattering the ice to pieces and ramming into Suicune. It got back up and prepared to fire another Aroura Beam.

"Awesome Quake!" Were Garurumon punched the ground so hard it shock, making Suicune lose balance. WereGarurumon then rushed it. "Wolf Claw!" The attack pushed Suicune back.

"Giga Destroyer!" MetalGreymon fired two missiles from his chest that exploded upon contact. Suicune was launched into a wall.

Ben gapped. "Wow! I've never seen such destructive power!"

Suicune groaned as it stood up. "Alright!" Nokia said. "Now to finish-

"WAIT!" Summer ran over to Suicune. "That's enough! We're not here to fight Suicune!"

Nokia froze up. Suicune looked seriously hurt. When it attacked Takumi, she saw red. She didn't even think.

Summer kneeled in front of Suicune. "Are you okay? I'm sorry. The Pinchers tricked you into attacking us." Suicune's gaze on Summer was sharp. "We didn't capture Entei. It's willingly working with Ben, because it trusts him.

Entei walked over to Suicune. The Water Type saw the trust and sympathy in its eyes.

"Raikou trusts us as well. We want to protect this region. Please believe us."

"Shaa…" A blue light surrounded Suicune. It slowly stood up.

Summer gazed at it in awe. "This light…A Guardian Sign?"

"I can't see it." Ben said. "Looks like this one's all yours."

Summer took her Styler and recorded what she saw. She then smiled at Suicune. "Thank you Suicune. I won't let you down."

Suicune smiled as Summer rubbed its head. Entei in the meantime thawed out, Lillymon, Rapidmon and Infermon. "Huh? What happened, what'd I miss?" Lillymon asked looking around.

Infermon looked at Suicune. "Hey! Cheep shot mutt! Spider-

"No!" Arata yelled running over to his Digimon. "Summer just got that thing to trust us, let's not tick it off again!"

"Oh. Okay."

Rapidmon looked at MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon in surprise. "When did Greymon and Garurumon Digivolve?"

"Hey! Ow! Be gentle, be gentle!" The group looked up and saw RizeGreymon holding one of the Pinchers in his non mechanical hand. Yuuko was on his shoulder. Fei was on Waspmon, holding another Pincher by the collar and Yuugo was on Guardromon who held the last two. Fei and the Digimon dropped them to the ground in front of Summer and Suicune. "Ow! Sheesh, of all the- They looked up to see everyone glare at them. Yuugo, Yuuko and Fei's Digimon landed right behind them.

Fei jumped down and walked over to them. "Oh look, our friends cleaned up yer ugly mess for ya worthless lot. Got anything to say for yourselves?"

The Pinchers trembled. "Uh…Sorry?" One of them muttered. "But hey! I mean you got it under control! All's well that ends well right?"

"Is that all you have to say?!" Summer yelled as she stormed over to them. "Suicune got badly hurt because of you!"

"H-hey you can't just go and attack us! You're the good guys!"

Ben grabbed Summer's shoulder. "He's right Summer, claim down."

"But Ben-

"Pokemon Rangers do hunt people down and attack them. We represent the peace of the world. Some lines we just can't cross." As Summer's expression softened, the Pinchers sighed in relief. Ben then flashed a smirk. "Now Entei and Suicune on the other hand are quite a different story. Oh boys!"

The Pinchers looked to their left and saw both Legendary Pokemon growling and glaring at them angerly. Without warning them charged into them at full speed sending them flying. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Everyone watched them fly off further and further away until they landed somewhere deep into the forest. "Hah! I bet Entei and Suicune would go far if they took up football!" Takumi laughed.

"Not as far as the Pinchers are going!" Arata chuckled. "Serves them right!"

"Uh, guys?" Lillymon asked. "What about the Emblem they took?"

"Don't worry yer pretty flower head about it." Fei replied. "Yuugo took it from them when we caught them."

Yuugo looked at his sister. "No, I didn't, Yuuko did."

His sister turned to Fei. "I thought Fei did." Everyone looked at each other in concern.

"Great. So much for that. What about Weber?" Ami asked. "You guys didn't happen to come across him when we split up at the ruins earlier, did you?"

Arata shook his head. "Hope he didn't get caught up in any of this."

"Heeey! Help me!" On the other side of the River was a man with black hair with a white shirt and green vest on a cliff above them.

"Would you happen to be Weber?" Summer asked.

"You guys know who I am? I've been making rugs for 30 years. I am the weaver of rugs, Weber!"

"Oh, good!" Nokia replied. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Um, well, that's fine, but…Could you help me out here? Actually, I was trying to protect Suicune from those villains, and I grabbed onto one of those flying machines. They shook me off here, but the river is too fast to cross."

"Hang tight!" Takumi said. "We're on our way!"

"I can fly over there." Lillymon said.

Suicune then roared, getting their attention. It then walked over to Summer. "What's gotten into it now?" Nokia asked.

Summer eyed it. "Suicune? Are you saying you'll save Weber?"

"Maybe it feels responsible for what happened." Yuuko said. "But it can't fly. How is it-

"Not fly." Yuugo replied. "But cross the river."

"That's right!" Rapidmon said. "That corny song mentioned that, plus we saw it run on water earlier."

Suicune laid down in front of Summer. "You'll…you'll let me ride on your back?" Summer asked nervously.

Ben smiled. "Go for it, Summer! Trust Suicune!"

Summer smiled and slowly climbed on. Suicune got up and jumped into the river, standing on the water. In what seemed like no time at all, it rushed around the other side of the high land Weber was stranded on and found a lower point to jump to. It then hurried to Weber's location. Summer climbed down. "Thank you for waiting, Weber!"

"Phew. Thanks. When you crossed the River riding the Great Suicune, you looked just like the hero of Oblivia."

Summer smiled and looked down where the other were. "Hey, Ben! Mission Clear!" Ben performed his Ranger pose, as did Summer. "Ummm…I'm sorry to bother you when you're tired, but we have something we need to ask you." Summer said to Weber. "We have a bit of a problem."

The man smiled. "As thanks for saving me, I'll tell you whatever you need to know. Still, we'll catch cold out here in the rain, so why don't we talk back at my workshop?"

* * *

Back in Aqua Resort Weber brought Ben and the others inside his Workshop.

"Whew. You saved me. If you hadn't come looking for me, who knows what would have happened? Thank you very much."

"Pokemon Rangers and Cyber Sleuths are here to help people and Pokemon in trouble." Summer smiled.

"Cyber…Sleuths? We'll then, I'll try to help you for a change. Why don't you tell me about what's giving you trouble?"

Everyone stepped away from the rug on the floor. "This rug is made in Articuno's image, right?" Takumi asked.

Weber stepped back and looked down. "This rug was made by my great-great-grandfather so that we would never forget how moved he was when he met Articuno. Wait…Wasn't it my great-great-great grandfather? Well, at any rate, it was my ancestor."

"He saw Articuno in the flesh?" Terriermon asked.

"That's right…Wait…Did that Pokemon just talk?!"

"Oh, boy, not again…"

"Terriermon isn't a Pokemon. It's a long story, Weber." Takumi sighed.

"Okay…"

"But in any case, you didn't make this rug yourself, did you?" Yuuko asked.

"No."

"Well do you know where this ancestor of yours met Articuno?" Takumi asked.

Weber sighed. "No, that I don't know…I've only heard that my ancestor saw Articuno."

"Is that so…" Yuugo sighed.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't much help."

Palmon shrugged. "So much for that lead. Now what?"

Just then there was a knock on the door, and someone came in. "Oh, I'm so glad to see that you're all safe!"

Ben was surprised. "Leanne?"

"You were taking a long time, and I got worried."

Date came in with Lopmon next to her. "So, this is the place? Oh, the kids are all here already."

Kyoko came in last. "Ah, so you found Weber in once piece. Good."

"How did you get here?!" Nokia asked. "Did you sprout wings and fly over or something?!"

Leanne laughed. "No, no, no. I asked Murph, and we came here on The Union." She walked over to Weber. "Excuse me, sir. My name is Leanne, and I'm an Archeologist. We bought a rug just like this before, and it is really wonderful."

Weber smiled. "I wish my ancestor could hear those words…I'm sure that rug doesn't just look good, but it also feels very soft to the touch and to walk on, right?" he asked as Leanne walked to the side to get a better look. "The truth is this rug is woven from Pokemon "fur."

Pichu tilted his head. "Pichu?"

"From a Pokemon's fur?!" Terriermon asked.

"That's right." Weber nodded. "It's woven from Mareep wool."

"That's animal abuse and theft!" Date yelled. "I'll arrest you for this!"

"Pichu!" Pichu angerly ran to the center of it and gave the whole rug a shock. "Pichuuuuu!"

"Yeah, have at it Pichu!" Terriermon jumped up and down.

"Avenge the Mareep!" Lopmon cheered.

As the rug was zapped a light caught Kyoko's eye.

"Calm down, guys! It's not like that!" Weber held his hands up defensively. "We don't just pull the Mareep's wool out. Mareep naturally sheds its wool in the summer, so we only collect and use that wool."

Pichu stopped. "Pi…chu?"

"Ooooooh. Why didn't you say so!?" Date asked. "I mean yeah, I guess there's no sense in letting that wool go to waste."

Weber sighed. "Phew, that was a shock. Sorry about the misunderstanding there."

"Did you guys see that?" Kyoko asked.

Ben glanced at her. "See what?"

"When Pichu's electricity ran through the rug, something appeared."

"Really?" Leanne asked.

Ben looked at his partner. "Hey, Pichu! Give it another zap!"

Weber's eyes widened. "Wait! That's no good. You'll burn the rug to a crisp!"

"Just go for it, Pichu!"

Pichu charged up. "Pichuuu!" It let out a fierce blast of electricity. After doing so some kind of script appeared across the rug.

"Whoa!" Nokia jumped.

Kyoko looked right at it. "As I suspected."

"Wh-what's this?!" Weber gasped.

Leanne looked at it. "The Mareep wool that the rug is woven from has a tendency to store static electricity. The fact that it shines when shocked is probably related to that."

"But what's with these letters?" Fei asked. "I can't make head or tail outa this."

"This is Oblivia's ancient script." Kyoko replied. "Hmm…It'll take some time, but Leanne and I can decipher it."

"Okay…" Nokia said. "I'm…just gonna step out for a bit."

"Sure…"

Nokia left quietly. "What's up with her?" Summer asked. "She doesn't seem like her cheery self."

"Yeah…" Takumi said. "I'm gonna go check on her."

Arata smirked. "Typical. Just don't bite off more than you can chew. You seem ignorant of the dangers you're about to face."

"Said the dork who's too oblivious to see that he swept my sister right off her feet." Takumi muttered.

"Huh? Sorry, did you say something?"

"Nothing."

Ami blushed. _"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that."_

Kyoko smiled. _"Ah, the power of youth."_

* * *

Outside, Takumi found Nokia looking down in the center of town. "Hey, Nokia!"

She briefly looked behind her. "Oh, Takumi…"

"Is something wrong?"

Nokia sighed. "What happened back there…I was so…brutal. When I saw you get hurt something snapped and…I hurt Suicune bad with MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon."

Takumi frowned.

"Do you remember when I formed the Rebels?"

"I do. You did it because you couldn't stand Digimon being abused by humans."

"Yeah. And now I just used Digimon to hurt Pokemon. I can't stand myself right now…What's happening to me?"

Takumi sighed. "Nokia…I know how you feel. You think you could have done something differently. That you didn't need to fight."

"If this is about Tankmon, that wasn't your fault."

Takumi looked up at her in surprise. "How'd you know about that?"

"Terriermon and Palmon got worried after you and Ami freaked out back at Rand's place and left. They told us."

Takumi sighed. "I see…"

"They said you two think of that case as your biggest failure. Is that true?"

Takumi thought back to harder times. Like Yuugo being devoured by the first Eater and Arata merging with one. And how it all happened because he opened the gate to the Digital World eight years ago. "I don't know about that but…It's easily one of our bigger mistakes. Nokia, if I could have my way, we'd never have to hurt anyone. But all our previous battles had me thinking. We had no choice. If we didn't fight things would have gotten a lot worse."

"But how is what I just did different from what the Pinchers do?"

Takumi gripped her shoulder and looked at her in the eye. "One big difference. You attacked Suicune to protect me. Red Eyes? He's going after Pokemon for himself. You're not selfish like him. You're willing to stick your neck out for people and Pokemon. The Pinchers hide behind them to protect themselves."

"Takumi…"

The boy had a serious expression. "That's why I can't stand what Red Eyes is doing! And that' why I-We WILL stop him!"

Nokia smiled. "You're right! I can't let him get away with what he's doing either!"

Takumi gave a smile seeing hers. "That's the spirit! Next time I see him I'm not letting him run off until I give him a piece of my mind!" Takumi said punching his palm.

"Then give him a good one for me too!"

"You got it! For the Rebels!"

* * *

By the time Takumi and Nokia returned Kyoko and Leanne had jut finished deciphering the text on the rug. "Are you alright, Nokia?" Agumon asked.

"Yup! As soon as Kyoko and Leanne are done reading the rug, I'm gonna go knock the Pinchers into orbit!"

Ami laughed. "That's our Nokia!"

Kyoko stepped away. "I think we got it."

"You got it translated?" Date asked. "So, what's it say?"

Leanne cleared her throat. "At the top of a snowy peak, when my life's fire was fading, I encountered Articuno. After that, I wove this tapestry with my own hands. I wove my respect into each thread of the warp and my gratitude into each thread of the weft…That's what it says."

Kyoko nodded. "It would appear that the craftsman who wove this was saved by Articuno on a snowy mountain. This rug is a symbol of his gratitude."

Weber kept his gaze on the rug. "So, that was the motivation behind weaving the rug! Well, I'm very grateful that you deciphered it!"

"So, we just need to find a snowy mountain and we'll find Articuno." Takumi said. "Weber, any idea where we can find a place like that on this mountain?"

"It must be Mt. Sorbet here on Seophian Island."

"Then that's where we're going next." Yuuko said.

"Still, though…Mt. Sorbet is famous for avalanches. I think it would be best to stay away."

Leanne shook her head. "Two of them are Pokemon Rangers. Sometimes they have to brave dangerous places in order to protect Oblivia's peace."

Kyoko smiled. "And those two over there are my assistants, who already braved through dangerous cases."

"Part of being a good detective involves taking a few risks, right?" Leanne smirked.

"Exactly."

"We already went through a Volcano, so if anything a snowy mountain is rather welcoming." Nokia added.

"I see. I understand." Weber said. "If you're going to Mt. Sorbet, be very careful."

"Weber, Leanne, Kyoko, thank you very much!" Summer smiled.

"Alright, let's head out!" Ben rooted.

Leanne turned to them. "Please be careful. We'll go back home on the Union. We'll be waiting for good news."

"Date, will you be coming with us?" Summer asked.

"A chance to give those crooks a piece of my mind? Every bit of me wants that. Unfortunately, I still need to escort these two back. Someone has to make sure that idiot Murph doesn't mess up the ship again, and if another one of those shell things attack it like last time, Lopmon and I will be needed."

Yuugo nodded. "Makes sense. A Digimon could attack anywhere."

"Ah, but before you go." Leanne said. "We need to get Takumi and his friends something warmer to wear if they plan to go to Mt. Sorbet. Can't have them freezing on us."

"Our half cyber bodies make us a bit more cold resistant." Ami said. "But I guess it couldn't hurt to have a bit more protection. Oh, but…I don't know if our currency has any value here…"

"I'll buy them for you."

"Really? Are you sure?" Nokia asked.

"Of course. Consider it a thanks for all you've done."

"Okay. Summer and I will take a walk while we wait for you guys." Ben said.

"You're not coming?" Arata asked.

"We'll be fine. Our Ranger uniforms are made of a special material that shifts temperatures if different environments."

"Cool." Takumi smiled. "I guess we'll see you guys in a bit." He left with the others.

Ben turned to the shopkeeper. "Thanks for the help Weber."

"It was my pleasure. Go north from Aqua Resort to reach the entrance of the Mt. Sorbet trail."

"Okay. Then let's walk around!" Summer smiled.

As the Rangers left the house they looked around. Then Pichu spotted someone and ran over to them. "Pichu? What's wrong?" Ben asked.

Pichu ran over to a nearby table where Arley, Kasa, and Hocus were drinking tea. The burly wan was the first to see the happy Pokemon. "Are you the Pichu from Dolce Island?"

"Pichu, wait up!" Ben, Summer and Staraptor caught up to them. "Huh? Is that you Arley?"

"Oh, so it was your Pichu then. Thanks for everything at Rasp Cavern."

"Ben, you know this person?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, I saw him at Rasp Cavern and-Hey, Hocus is here too!"

"Hey, Ben! Nothing up my sleeve but a hello!"

"That's a strange greeting…" Summer said. "Do you know this person too, Ben?"

"We met at Tilt Village."

Kasa smiled. "It's the Rangers from earlier. Did you find the rug weaver?"

"Ummmm…K… K…" Summer looked at her awkwardly.

"It's Kasa. You don't have to stand over there. If you'd like, come to our table. You're invited to our little tea party."

"Really? Thanks." Ben smiled. "I didn't know you guys all knew each other."

Kasa smiled and poured some tea for the new guests. "We're all friends from a long time ago."

Arley nodded. "Since Kasa has come to Sophian Island, we're having a reunion."

"When we were young, the four of us traveled the world together."

"Sounds exciting." Ben said, taking a sip of tea. "Wait…The four…of you?"

"Oh yes, now that you mention it, it looks like the doctor is late." Hocus said as he looked at his pocket watch.

Kasa sighed. "Isn't he constantly sough after these days by the people here in Oblivia?"

Arley turned to his left at the sound of footsteps. "Speak of the you know what."

Edward smiled as he walked over to them. "Hello, sorry I'm late. I got caught by an overly talkative patient." He joined them next to Arley. "Why, if it isn't Ben! You're looking tan and healthy."

Kasa giggled. "My, my . You seem quite close. Is this your grandchild?"

"I'd probably be fun to have a grandchild like this, but unfortunately that isn't the case. This reliable Ranger has been running around to help Oblivia." He turned back to Ben. "Where are the other young ones? Are they doing well?"

"Yeah. They just went to get something warm to wear."

"Hey, guys!" Summer and Ben saw Takumi and the others run over to them. Each were wearing a thick and heavy coat. Takumi's was grey, Ami's was yellow, Arata's was blue, Nokia's was pink, Fei's was a light shade of blue, and Yuuko's was black, and Yuugo's was white.

"Oh, good, you're all bundled up." Ben smirked. "Did Leanne and the others leave already?"

"Yup." Takumi glanced at the table. "Hey, Arley! Hocus! I haven't seen either of you in a while!"

"Do you know these people?" Yuuko asked.

"Ah right. Guess we should go through the introductions." Ben said. "Some of you have met the gang already, but this is Takumi, his sister Ami, Yuugo and his sister Yuuko, Fei, Nokia and Arata. And guys, you already met Edward and Kasa, but this is Arley, a lumberjack and Hocus, a traveling magician."

Fei smirked at Arley. "It's been a while old man."

"Sure has. You seem as lively as ever."

"Ah, yes, I heard of you from Arley." Kasa said, before looking at the Digimon. "And these must be the "Digimon" creatures he told us about."

"That's us." Terriermon nodded.

"So, they can talk. Fastening."

"That's just the start." Arley said. "They have their own means of evolving. And doing so grants them immense power."

"That's right." Takumi nodded. "It's called Digivolution."

"Intriguing." Edward said. "I would very much like to see it with my own eyes if possible."

"Sure. Terriermon, are you up for it?"

"Totally! Let's rock!"

Takumi put his goggles over his eyes. A blue screen appeared in front of him.

DIGIVOLUTION

A yellow light traveled from his hand to Terriermon who had a bright shell from around him. "Terriermon Digivolve to…Gargomon!" Edward and the others were festinated when Gargomon came out of the shell.

"Remarkable!" Hocus applauded. "What growth! I've seen Pokemon evolve countless times but that doesn't even compare."

"There's more." Arley said. "Apparently this is only the fourth stage in their growth."

Takumi grinned. "That's right. And recently we pushed our way to the next level. Wanna see?" His eyes glowed yellow as he held his hand up.

DIGIVOLUTION

A yellow light went straight up and came down on Gargomon. "Gargomon Digivolve to…" another shell of light formed around it. "Rapidmon!"

The four elders were shocked into amazement at the new form that emerged. "I…I don't even have the words!" Arley said. "This seems so…unreal!"

"And they can go even further beyond that!" Nokia grinned. "You should see what my cute little Digimon can do when they go all out."

"Really?" Kasa asked. "Show us!"

"I wish I could but…for some reason it won't work. I'm not sue why."

"Maybe it has something to do with this world?" Agumon suggested. "I don't think it normally supports digital lifeforms, so it may be affecting our power."

After showing off his Ultimate form, Takumi's Digimon went back to being Terriermon. "How did you even come across such creatures?" Edward asked.

Takumi looked back at his friends. "Should we tell them?"

"I don't know Takumi…" Yuugo said.

"Why not?" Nokia asked. "They seem like trustworthy people!"

"If it is a secret of some kind we won't tell." Kasa assured.

"Well…okay."

* * *

Takumi went on to explain how he and his friends were from another world and while they didn't go through all the details, they explained that they had a previous adventure with Digimon. Edward and his friends listened through the whole thing, not saying a word until he was done.

"That's…interesting." Edward said. "So, you are not from this world."

"I know it's hard to believe."

"Perhaps." Edward smiled. "But I can tell you are very trustworthy children. If what you say is indeed true, then I do hope you can find your way home."

"Thanks."

"By they way, is everything going well with your duties?"

"We are going to Mt. Sorbet to protect Articuno from some bad guys." Ben replied.

"I see."

"Oh, snap! We should hurry!" Takumi said. "Red Eyes could already be there for all we know!"

"Right. We'd better get going." Yuugo said before turning to Edward and his friends. "Do any of you know anything that might help?"

Edward stared down. "It's obvious that your job is very difficult. I wish we could do something to help, but we're all outsiders. We are older, but we don't know much about Oblivia's past."

"Rand's wife, Leanne, knows a lot about Oblivia's past. So, we're okay when it comes to that." Summer said. "She's an amazing archeologist."

"Wow. An archaeologist, you say? That's wonderful."

"Plus, we got Kyoko, Ami and Takumi's supervisor. She knows a lot of things." Nokia added.

"Sorry for interrupting your reunion." Ben said. "We should be on our way."

Hocus smiled. "Don't worry. We're sorry to have held you up. Thanks to having such refreshing guests, I feel like I'm about ten years younger. Now that is real…"

"…Magic." Kasa smiled.

"Pichu!" Ben's partner bounced.

"If we learn anything, we'll be sure to contact you." Arley said.

Edward nodded. "If you get hurt, I'll have a look at you. Still try not to be too reckless."

Arata leaned in and whispered. "Don't expect, Takumi or Ami to promise that."

"Hey!"

As everyone laughed, Ben turned to the team. "Come on guys. We're off to Mt. Sorbet!"

As they left Edward took a sip of tea. "Digimon hold a lot of potential I see…Perhaps even more so then…_it._"

Shortly after that, the team made their way north out of Aqua Resort and found the entrance to the mountain with a man standing in front of it. "Those two! I warned them it's to dangerous inside, but they wouldn't listen! They're not even Pokemon Rangers!"

Ben walked over to him. "Is something wrong?"

"I was keeping an eye out at the mountain. And some strangers dressed in green pushed past me and went inside!"

"Sounds like Pinchers." Takumi said. "Let's get going."

"What? You can't go in there! It's dangerous inside!"

"It doesn't matter." Ben said. "We have our duties to fulfil."

"But-

"ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

Everyone covered their ears as a laud noise echoed. "AGH! What was that?!" Nokia asked.

Ben looked up. "Get back!"

Everyone got out of the way as a orange monster with three red eyes, one bigger than the other two on it's forehead, landed in front of them. "AH! AAAAAAAAAAH!" the man blocking the cave entrance ran away.

"What is that thing?!" Summer asked.

Agumon trembled. "It's Arcadiamon! It Digivolved!"

* * *

**And Summer finally get's that Legendary Pokemon I promised! Don't worry, that won't be her only one. **


	28. Chapter 28: Fire in a Blizzard

**After learning the location of Articuno, the Rangers and Sleuths depart for Mt. Sorbet. However, right before they could enter the cave leading the the mountain, they are intercepted by...**

* * *

The orange Digimon leered at Takumi and his friends. Ben gaped. "Arcadiamon?! This thing is that Digimon we fought at Faldera Island?!"

Gabumon nodded. "Yeah! It must have Digivolved to Champion level!"

"Oh, great." Takumi put on his googles. "Terriermon, time to Digivolve!"

Arcadiamon roared and threw a punch at the group, making them scatter. "Agh! Takumi and the others won't even get a chance to prepare like this!" Ben growled. "Go, Guardian Sign! Raikou, come forth!"

Summer shot her Styler and drew a shape alongside Ben's "Go, Guardian Sign! Suicune come forth!" Both Raikou and Suicune appeared in front of them.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Hydro Pump!"

Both of them hit Arcadiamon in the back making it fall over. "Come on guys, we've got a chance now!" Takumi said getting up.

"Right!" Ami nodded as she put her googles on.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Warp Digivolve to…Rapidmon!"

"Palmon Warp Digivolve to…Lillymon!"

"Agumon Warp Digivolve to…MetalGreymon!"

"Gabumon Warp Digivolve to…WereGarurumon!"

"Guilmon Warp Digivolve to…RizeGreymon!"

"Hagurumon Digivolve to…Guardromon."

"FanBeemon Digivolve to…Waspmon!"

Arcadiamon got back up and looked at the evolved Digimon. "Alright guys, let's go!" Ben said.

Raikou and Suicune jumped at Arcadiamon from behind but its giant hands grabbed them and threw them into Waspom, and Lillymon, knocking both of them out of the sky.

"Golden Triangle!"

"Giga Destroyer!" Both Rapidmon and MetalGreymon fired at it. Both attacks hit right at the chest, making it slide backwards, but it remained on its feet.

"Oh, come on!" Nokia whined. "Even though we're at a higher level than it, this thing's still too strong!"

WereGarurumon jumped at it. "Wolf Claw!"

"Heavy Strike!" Arcadiamon threw its arm at Nokia's other Digimon, knocking him, into the wall. It walked over towards the Digimon while he was down.

"Trident Revolver!"

"Turbo Stinger!"

Its back was bombarded by orange and blue blasts, fired by RizeGreymon and Waspmon from behind. It growled in annoyance and turned around. "Destruction Cannon!" A purple blast was fired from its mouth that knocked RizeGreymon down.

"This is getting us nowhere. Any ideas?" Yuuko asked, looking at Ami.

"Um…I know! Lillymon! Guardromon! Aim for the legs!"

"D-Grenade."

"Flower Cannon!"

Both Ami and Yuugo's Digimon fired at Arcadiamon's shins, making it drop on all fours.

"Good! Now bro!"

"Rapidmon!"

Takumi's Digimon flew in and uppercuted Acradiamon, knocking its head upward. But as he tried to fly away, it grabbed him by the leg and slammed him into the ground. It glowed purple and held a hand out towards him. "Prison Fist!" Purple light flew from Rapidmon into its hand. As the wounds on its legs healed, Rapidmon was converted to his Rookie form.

"Terriermon!" Takumi ran over towards him.

"Takumi, look out!" Ami screamed. Arcadiamon reached towards Takumi. Then Waspmon rammed into it from behind. Angered, Arcadiamon batted her to the ground with its hand.

As Waspmon saw the monster turn towards her, Fei stood in front of her. "F-Fei, what are you doing?! Get back!"

The girl only smirked. "And let you have all the fun? Please. Not all humans are that helpless."

Waspmon chuckled. "I don't know how you do it Fei. We're backed into a corner and you laugh in the face of danger. Is that what you humans call determination?"

"Heh. Sounds like you've been doing yer homework. When something get's in my way, I knock it down!" Suddenly Fei saw something glow bright blue in her pocket. She took out her Digivice. As she looked at it, her eyes glowed the same blue. "Just like the others. Hey Waspmon? Care to see what my determination can really do?"

Waspmon got up. "Lay it on me."

DIGIVOLUTION

Fei held up her Digivice and the light shot upwards before landing on Waspmon. A solid light formed around her.

"Waspmon Digivolve to…" The shell exploded Waspmon had a massive blue and gold hive comb on her back, and her stinger looked like some kind of laser cannon. "CannonBeemon!"

Takumi held Terriermon and looked at her. "Fei's Digimon Digivolved!"

As CannonBeemon rose up, Arcadiamon tried to punch her. But in the blink of an eye, she moved to the side. Then behind. It. Then above it.

Summer was amazed. "She's faster now!"

"Nitro Stinger!" Arcadiamon turned around just in time to see a blue blast fired from CannonBeemon's stinger. It blew in its face, and it growled as it backed away and fell off a cliff into the forest below.

Everyone ran over to the edge to see it on the ground. It growled as it attempted to get up. Summer looked around it. "I think I got an idea." She jumped into the air and drew with her Styler on the ground. "Go, Guardian Sign! Bidoof come forth!" The small beaver Pokemon appeared in a flash of light.

"That little thing?" Fei asked.

Summer picked the Pokemon up and jumped on her Staraptor. "Just keep Arcadiamon down!"

"Okay!" Ami said. "Everyone, attack!"

"Giga Destroyer!"

"Trident Revolver!"

Just as Arcadiamon started sitting up, MetalGreymon and RizeGreymon started shooting at it.

"Flower Cannon!"

"Nitro Stinger!"

When Lillymon and CannonBeemon joined the fray, the attacks pushed Arcadiamon back down. Then all of the sudden a tree fell over on its head, knocking it out.

"Timber!" Summer joked as Bidoof stood in front of the remains of the tree it bit into.

"Nice thinking Summer!" Ben called.

WereGarurumon stood at the edge of the cliff. "Now's the time! Let's end this before it can do any more harm!"

"But- Ami was about to object, when Yuuko put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know what you are thinking. And I agree it seems extreme, but would you rather it devoured all the innocent Digimon trapped in this world? This is the only way."

WereGarurumon jumped down towards it. "Wolf-

"Night Raid!" A swarm of bats intercepted WereGarurumon in midair and knocked him into a tree.

"WereGarurumon!" Nokia cried.

Everyone heard a laugh and saw a figure with blue cloths and a black and red cape. It landed next to Arcadiamon. Takumi's goggles gave him a display of the Digimon's details. "That's…A Myotismon! Ultimate Level Virus Digimon supposedly the cruel and cunning king of the Undead Digimon."

The Digimon looked down at Arcadiamon. "How could these twerps and their pets do this to you? Well, I suppose you still haven't reached your full potential."

"This one can talk?" Ben asked. "So, you're the one holding this thing's leash!"

Myotismon laughed. "Well…I suppose that isn't entirely wrong."

"Are you working with the Pinchers?!" Takumi asked. "What are you after?!"

"You'll see in due time…" he spread out his cape like wings. "Night Raid!" A swarm of red bats flew at everyone making them duck in cover. After the squealing stopped, they looked back and both Arcadiamon and Myotismon were gone.

"Oh, great. As if we don't have enough lunatics around." Arata groaned.

"Well this lunatic can wait until we've dealt with Red Eyes." Summer replied.

"Yeah…I guess you're right." Ben said as they waved off Bidoof, Raikou and Suicune, who left. They then turned to the cave. "Come on, let's move."

Takumi put Terriermon down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…But I don't think I have enough energy to become Rapidmon again."

"That's okay. Besides, I think we've got something better suited for the cold."

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Digivolve to…Ikkakumon!"

Ami chuckled. "The walrus. Of course."

Ben and the others entered the cold cave. He spotted a Prinplup and caught it with his Styler. Summer Caught a Bagon. Once they passed through the cave they came upon the foot of the snowy mountain. Takumi looked up at the enormous mountain. "So, this is Mt. Sorbet, huh?"

"Ah Ahhh…Achoo!"

Ben hurried over to Summer. "Are you okay?" Summer nodded.

"So much for that special material, huh?" Infermon said.

Summer shivered. "Even though our uniforms hold warmth really well, a snowy mountain is still really cold. L-let's hurry over to Mt. Sorbet's peak!"

"Y-yeah...Even with these heavy coat's I'm feeling the chill..." AMi shivvered.

Nokia groaned as she looked up. "Do we have to climb this entire thing? MetalGreymon, can't we fly up there?"

"Sorry, Nokia. The winds are strong. Even if I can make it up, I don't want to risk you falling off on the way there."

"If you got time to complain, you got time to move." Arata said. "Red Eyes could already be at the top by now."

"Alright. Stay close." Ben said as he listened to the howl of the wind. "Visibility is poor with all this snow. Try not to get lost."

The team went up the mountain. Not even a minute before they started, they spotted two Pinchers. Summer ran over to them. "Pinchers! What are you doing here?"

They both nearly yelped as they turned to face them. "Hey Rangers." One of them waved. "Use your indoor voices in a place like this."

"What?!" Nokia yelled. "Speak up! I can't hear you over this storm!"

"Shhh! What are you going to do if you cause a avalanche? Are you underestimating the mountain?"

The other one turned to a Pokemon next to them and smirked. "Hey, Tyrogue. Please teach them a lesson about how unforgiving nature can be."

"Heads up, here he comes!" Ben said.

But the Pokemon ran past Ben and slammed into a stone pillar next to him.

"What are you doing, Tyrouge?!" The Pincher yelled. "They're the ones to hit! On a snowy mountain, one bad move can cost our lives!"

The girl Pincher ordering it smirked. "Calm down. Just watch, okay?"

Suddenly there was a rumbling. "What's going on?!" Lillymon asked, looking around.

Takumi looked back up the mountain. "Uh, oh…Guys, get your Digimon and Pokemon in your Digivices and Stylers!"

"What?" Nokia looked back at him. "Are you crazy, we're about to fight-

"JUST DO IT! NOW!"

"Okay, okay, you don't need to yell!" Once all the Digimon and Pokemon were in, Takumi grabbed Nokia and ran towards another nearby pillar. "H-hey! Takumi, what are you doing?!"

Arata grabbed Ami and pulled her towards another Pillar. "Wha-Arata, slow down!"

"No time!"

Yuugo, Yuuko and Fei ran to another pillar. Ben groaned. "Gee, glad to see you got our backs, "team."

"Cut the sarcasm and get behind something!" Yuugo yelled back.

The Pincher smirked. "See, it's started. Do you understand what this rumbling means? A white nightmare, that swallows everything! Experience the terror of an avalanche for yourself." She then looked up the mountain and turned pale. The results were bigger than she expected. "Oh. That's no good…" she turned to Ben and Summer. "Give us that spot, Rangers!"

Summer was getting gradually more confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, but no!"

The Pinchers tried to push Ben and Summer out of the way, but they shoved them back. "Hurry and get out of that spot!"

"Ben, Summer, don't move from there no matter what!" Arata yelled.

They tried again, but while they were grappling, Pichu whacked the one on Ben with the ukulele and Staraptos threw his wings at the one on Summer, knocking her into the snow with a whirlwind.

The Pinchers looked up at the mountain.

"Eeeeekkk!"

"Eek? You've got some nerve saying that after that display of ultimate ineptitude!"

As the rumbling got louder, Summer looked up the mountain and saw a falling sheet of snow coming towards her. "Uh, oh." She saw Tyrouge cowering and hurried over to it.

"Summer!" just as his partner grabbed the Pokemon, Ben grabbed Summer and pulled her behind the rock and held her close.

Nokia screamed as she held onto Takumi. Artata held Ami close as the snow fell. Luckily the rocks they stood behind were enough to shield them from the avalanche. The Pinchers were consumed in white.

Once the rumbling stopped, Yuugo looked back towards the others. "Is everyone alright?"

"Ami and I are fine." Arata replied. He didn't notice Ami's face turn red.

"I'm okay!" Takumi said. "Nokia, what about yo-hurk!"

Nokia was squeezing Takumi tighter. "AAAAAAAH! That was so scary!"

"I-it's okay, now, it's over. Ben! Summer! Did you two make it?!"

"Yeah, we're fine." Ben replied.

"Tyrouge?" Summer looked at the frightened Pokemon. "I'm glad you're safe!"

"What was with those jokers?" Ben asked as Tyrouge ran off.

"But those simpleminded Pinchers did help us out. Thanks to them, we know how dangerous those avalanches are. And we'll be safe in the shade of those rocks."

"Let's be careful going up!" Takumi said. "Another one can hit at any time! If you feel rumbling head for a rock!"

In the groups of four they were split up into, they made their way up. One more avalanche came down, but they evaded it the same way. Then they made their way to the next area.

Summer looked around. This spot wasn't as steep. "It doesn't look like we have to worry about avalanches here."

Ben nodded. "Right. Let's get moving."

They made their way upward. They kept scanning the area for more Pinchers. And despite what Summer said, they were still wary of avalanches. "Look out!" Ben grabbed Takumi and stopped him right when a ice ball came down, and forms spikes as it hit the ground in front of them.

The crew looked up and saw three angry Snover throwing ice. "What's their problem?!" Nokia asked.

"I don't think the Pinchers are controlling them." Takumi said. "But they clearly agitated them. Ikkakumon, can you scare them off?"

A light came out of his goggles and Ikkakumon landed in front of him. "You got it! Harpoon Torpedo!" The horn on his head flew up and exploded. The Snover were not caught in the blast, but they ran away.

"The Pinchers have already gotten through here." Ben growled. "Let's hurry!"

* * *

Up ahead, Red Eyes was walking up the mountain with three Pinchers struggling to keep up behind him. They had a Snover, a Snubbull, and a Smoochum.

"Leader! Please wait!"

Red Eyes turned around. "What's wrong?"

"The blizzard is getting stronger! It can be dangerous to go any further."

Another one sighed. "The Z.Z. Flyers won't move, my hands and feet are numb…"

"There you are!" Surprised by the voice the Pinchers turned around and saw Ben and his friends approach.

Ben pointed at the leader. "We finally found you, Red Eyes!"

The leader sighed. "I thought I had some spirited underlings, but…It's the Rangers and Sleuths again, huh?" he then squinted at his men. "You cold-blooded twits could learn something from them. If you really can't move from the cold, stay here and stop those kids!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

As Red Eyes went on ahead, the three Pinchers turned to their opponents. "Cutting loose might not be a bad way to beat the cold."

"Oh, please." Takumi rolled his eyes. "As if you cowards are actually going to be the ones cutting loose."

The three Pokemon charged in their direction. Snubbull jumped into the air. Ben backflipped away as it landed and created a shockwave. As he shot his Styler and started his capture, Summer and her Staraptor rushed towards, Smoochum. She jumped over a blast of ice and her Styler spun circles around it. When it tried to fight back, Staraptor knocked it over.

Meanwhile, Snover shot sharp leaves at Ami who jumped back. "Lillymon!"

Her Digimon flew out of the Digivice and blocked the attack. "Sorry, but this flower's petals are sharper! Rune Forest!" A green light flew towards Snover and exploded, sending it flying. As Pichu's music claimed Snubbul, Ben finished his capture and all three of the small Pokemon walked away, now free from the Pincher's control.

"That was a terrible way to lose."

"I'm so ashamed that I'm starting to cry."

"My falling tears are turning into ice." The three of them jumped off a nearby slope and ran back down the mountain.

"Red Eyes…We can't let him get away!" Ben yelled as he ran on ahead.

"Staraptor?" He stopped and turned around and saw Summer comfort her shivering Pokemon. "Oh, you poor thing. Flying types can't take the cold. Here, rest in my Styler."

"I-it is getting colder up here." Yuuko admitted, shiviring. "I bet that means we're getting close to Articuno."

"All the more reason to hurry." Ben said. "Come on!"

"Yuuko, will you be okay?" Rizegreymon asked.

"Y-yes."

They passed through another step section which meant a couple more avalanches. Fortunately, the team found more convenient stones to hide behind. The bigger issue was on top of the mountain. An Empoleon. A Sneasel. A Riachu. They stood in front of three Pinchers blocking their way. "I've heard you need incredible stamina to climb this far on foot. And still you made it all the way here. That's impressive."

"You are going to fall here, however. But don't worry. I'll build a bronze statue of you on this spot."

"Of course, I'll include a little statue of Pichu at its feet. Well then. Your final battle starts now!"

"Empoleon!"

"Sneasel!"

"And Riachu! You three attack them together!"

Ben and his friends prepared for battle. "Looks like we just found Red Eye's best men. Be ready for anything."

Snealsel was the first to act. WereGarurumon roared as he came out of Nokia's Styler and intercepted the attack with a kick to the head.

"RizeGreymon!"

Yuuko's Digimon came out and a bright light formed in his mouth. "Meteor Fall!" a big red sphere of fire was shot at Empoleon.

"Aqua Jet!" Empoleon coated itself in water and charged straight into the attack, destroying it and then ramming into RizeGreymon, knocking him back.

"Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning summoned by Raichu knocked him out of the sky. Yuuko ran towards him. "RizeGreymon!"

The Digimon looked up and saw Sneasel and Riachu run towards them. "Yuuko, look out!" He moved to shield her with his arm and was just in time. But the combined force sent both of them hurling into the rocky walls.

Yuugo was afraid when he saw RizeGreymon convert back into Guilmon and Yuuko lay in snow unconscious. "Yuuko!" The impact made snow from the cliff above drop on Yuuko and her Digimon. "No!" Yuugo ran over to them and started digging. Sneasel was about to go after him when Gaurdromon intercepted it an threw it aside, before hurrying to Yuugo.

"That's one brat down." The Empoleon tamer gloated. "So, who's next?"

Pichu rammed into Riachu, both of them sending sparks everywhere. But the smaller Pokemon was overpowered and knocked back. At this time Lillymon was backing up while dodging swiped from Empoleon's claws.

Meanwhile, Yuugo finally dug up his sister and Guilmon. "Oww…" the Digimon rubbed his head. "What happened? Did I protect Yuuko?"

"Yes." Yuugo nodded. "She's merely unconscious." He felt the side of Yuuko's face. "But also freezing."

"Yuugo." Guardromon spoke up. "It would be dangerous to let Yuuko's temperature drop any lower. Snow has already gotten into her clothing and my knowledge on humans states that being in any state of sleep while cold can affect her health."

Yuugo growled as he looked at the Pincher still fighting his friends. "Then we finish this fight. Now." As he said that last word his eyes glowed grey. He took out his Digivice and stared at the white screen. He then looked up at Guardromon who nodded.

"Affirmative."

Yuugo held up his Digivice.

DIGIVOLUTION

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the grey light shooting up. It curved back down and enveloped Guardromon. "Guardromon Digivolve to…" A blue shell wrapped around him and expanded. And when it exploded, he was a much smaller grey machine with four legs and a blue glass shall on his head. "Datamon."

Nobody knew how to react at first. "Yuugo's Digimon Digivolved to Ultimate." Arata said. "Er…I think."

One of the Pinchers burst into laughter. "Bwa, ha, ha, ha! Ultimate?! Ultimate joke, maybe! What the heck is that?! If I sneeze, he'll go flying clean to Kanto!"

Summer glanced at Yuugo. "Um…Yuugo? Any chance you can change him back?"

"I won't need to. Don't let first impressions deceive you."

Ben scanned it. "Well it says here this little guy is a Ultamite Level Virus Type. And despite its appearance it can easily delete bigger Digimon...apparently…"

Another Pincher rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever kid. Go on Empoleon, stomp the runt flat." As Empoleon marched towards Datamon, he walked towards him. The Empoleon then lifted it's foot over Datamon and slammed it down on him. "Ha! So much for you Ultimate…huh?"

Datamon held Empoleon's foot with his hands and then lifted the whole Pokmeon over his head making it squawk. He then slammed Empoleon into the ground and spun his upper body so fast that it got dizzy. Then he threw it into Sneasal. "Heavens Thunder." He fired a blast of thunder from his mouth, shocking both of them. He then turned to the Riachu that charged towards him. "Digital Bomb." From the holed in the fingers on his right hand he shot red pellets, that exploded in front of Riachu and blasted it against a wall.

Yuugo turned to the Rangers. "Now!" Ben drew loops around Empoleon and Sneasal. Summer captured the Riachu.

One of the Pincher's turned to the other. "Somebody's Sneasel really goofed up…"

The second one turned to the third. "That's not the problem! Raichu's moves were terrible!"

"You're wrong! Empoleon left itself wide open!"

"You're all wrong!" Nokia growled. "You're Pokmeon were great, YOU'RE the ones who messed up! You have no connection with your Pokemon! No trust! No bond whatsoever! It's lame! And seeing you blame each other proves it!"

"What are you lecturing us for!?" one of them asked.

"Actually, she might be on to something." Raichu's Pincher said as she looked away. "Maybe we do need to work on our teamwork some more."

"…Maybe."

They then ran away. As they did, Fei turned to Yuugo, who picked up Yuuko. "Is Yuuko okay?!"

"Yeah. But it'll be dangerous to keep her here." Yuugo sighed. "Sorry, guys. But I'm going to have to head back to Aqua Resort with her. Maybe Dr. Edward is still down there."

"Okay." Takumi nodded.

"Want me to come with you?" Fei asked.

"No. You should stay here. Red Eyes has to be stopped."

"We shall await your return in Aqua Resort." Datamon stated. "Caution is advised."

"Okay. Be careful." Ben said.

"Same to you." Yuugo replied as he carried Yuuko down the mountain on his back. Guilmon and Datamon followed him.

"Well then." Ami sighed. "It's all up to us now. Let's move. We're almost there."

They continued their way up and went into a cave at the top and went inside to find themselves in a large cavern. Their foothold stood above a deep hole. "Wow…We're inside the mountain now." Ami looked around.

A bolder of solid ice blocked their path. "Darn." Ben growled. "I don't know if there any fire Pokemon around here."

"Why would there be in a place like this?" Arata asked.

"Allow me!" Nokia said holding up her Digivice. "MetalGreymon!"

MetalGreymon came out and charged a flame in his non-metallic hand and rammed it into the ice. "Walkenapalm!" It thawed out and became a normal rock. "Mach Rush!" his metallic hand smashed the bolder into pieces.

"Ta da!"

They continued on ahead when Ami felt a drop land on her head. "Huh?" she looked up and saw something fall towards her. "Yeeek!" Frozen stalactites dropped down around them.

"Keep moving!" Ben said as they ran towards the next room. Something they regretted doing the moment they started sliding. "GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ami fell over but was still moving. "The floor's made of ice!"

Ben desperately tried to stop himself as he got closer to the edge. He slowed to a halt just as he was about to fall over the edge. He turned around and saw Summer and the others, sliding towards him but they stopped just when they were about to collide.

"Yikes, that was close!" Ben said looking down.

Nokia tried to stand up, but slipped and fell over. "Ow!"

"Okay…" Ami said as she regained her balance. "Let's take it slow…"

"Wait, I know! Ikkakumon!" Takumi's Digimon came out of the Digivice. "Everyone climb on!"

"Uh…Takumi, are you sure this will work?"

"Sure." Takumi put on his googles and opened a display. "It says here in the Field Guide, that Ikkakumon's paws can emit high tempters at will and as a result maintain a tight footing while on ice."

"Okay. Let's give it a try." Summer replied. Everyone climbed onto Ikkakumon who carried them across the ice. Once they were on solid rock again, they climbed off and spotted Red Eyes with four Pinchers.

"Red Eyes!" Ben yelled. "Your plan ends here!"

The Pinchers turned around as their leader growled in annoyance. "Even though I told them not to let them up here…What in the world were my people doing?"

"Those punks?" Ami asked. "They have absolutely no sense of teamwork!"

"More importantly, what are you trying to do?!" Summer asked.

"And why is it worth making so many suffer?!" Ben added.

"Pichu, Pichu!" Ben's partner growled.

Red Eyes sighed. "You're as bold as ever. Hey, you there, silence these Rangers and their friends!" the two pinchers in front of his stepped forward as he turned back to his other two. "You two come with me to where Articuno is!"

"Wait!" Ben yelled. "You're just going to run off again?! And have all your men do the fighting for you?!"

Red Eyes glanced back at Ben. "I want to fight you so much that, honestly, I can barely stand it. But, there is something I have to do right now. If you can manage to defeat these two, then you should come see me. I'll be done with my job then, and I'll take you on. So long."

As he walked off the Pinchers held up their Control Gauntlets. "Stop interfering with our leader!"

"I admit that you are spirited. But that ends here, too. Glaceon, Infernape, come out!"

An ice and a fire-fighting type dropped down in front of them. Nokia glanced ahead where Red Eyes went off. "Guys…Go on ahead."

Takumi looked at her. "Nokia?"

"We can't let them get to Articuno!" MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon came out of her Digivice. "I'll deal with these guys! So, go give that jerk a Cyber Sleuth sized clobbering!"

"But-

"I'll keep an eye on her." Fei said.

"What? I don't need help!" Nokia said.

"Yes, you do. In more ways than one. And as much as I don't want to miss out on the action with the big boss, I'm not letting you screw up here."

"Sheesh. Again with the attitude! Fine, fine! We'll deal with these guys. Oh, and Takumi?"

"Yeah?"

Nokia winked. "You better keep your promise!"

The sleuth chuckled. "Yeah. I got it."

"Okay." Ben said. "Charge!" He, Summer, Takumi, Arata, and Ami ran forward.

Infernape rolled in circles until it was a wheel of fire. Then a track of flame spread out towards them. Glaceon shot a blast of ice their way. Ben And Summer jumped to the side and kept going.

"CannonBeemon!"

"Nitro Stinger!" Fei's Digimon shot a jet of blue flame at the Pokemon, making them back away. With an opening in front of them, Takumi and the others ran past them and pushed past the Pinchers.

"Hey, wait!" one of them was about to peruse, but WereGarurumon leapt over in front of him.

Ben and the others stopped in front of a familiar stone blocking the path. Summer looked at it. "Hey, isn't that…?"

Ben nodded. "It's the same kind of seal as the one on Faldera Volcano."

His partner looked at it. "Pichu!"

"Summer, maybe if you use the emblem that was on Suicune's Monument just like what I did that other time…"

Summer looked at her Styler and aimed it at the wall. She fired it at the stone and started drawing Suicune's Sign. It glowed blue on the rock that soon disappeared in a bright light.

"It opened!" Summer cheered.

"Let's press on through." Ben said.

Summer took a step back. "I'm sorry guys. I can't go with you."

"Summer?"

"I'm the only one who can open the seal. If it closes behind you, Fei and Nokia can't follow you without me. I'll help them with their fight and then we'll catch up." She looked straight at Ben. "Ben…The time's finally come. I knew at one point you would face Red Eyes. So please…Protect Oblivia. Finish our mission."

"Summer…" Ben gave a serious expression and nodded. "Leave it to me." He looked at Pichu, Takumi, Ami and Arata. "Let's go!"

They nodded and went through. As Summer thought the stone reappeared. "Good luck everyone." Summer stood there for a moment before running back to where Nokia and Fei were.

Outside the wind and snow were at their strongest. It was hard to see, but they spotted a majestic blue bird surrounded by Ice. Two Pinchers were shooting purple rings at it from their Control Gauntlets. Red Eyes stood nearby.

Ben approached him. "Well, Red Eyes…Here I am. Just like you wanted."

Takumi stepped forward. "I told you I'd take you down no matter what! Now prepare yourself!"

Red Eyes looked at them. "Some of you are missing. Let me guess. They stayed to fight those two?"

Ben nodded. "And they'll win. Just like how we beat every last one of your sorry minions."

Red Eyes smirked. "Looks like your skills have improved even further." He glanced at Articuno. "Just wait one moment. Articuno is about to wake up."

"What?! No!"

The Pinchers stopped what they were doing. Articuno started to stir. When it's eyes and wings opened the ice around it shattered. Then everyone's vision was enveloped in white.

* * *

"Go, MetalGreymon!"

"Giga Destroyer!" Nokia's Digimon fire two missiles that knocked both Glaceon and Infernape into the air.

Summer drew loops around them while they were flying and by the time they landed on the ground, they became tame again.

The Pinchers slowly backed up. "I couldn't live up to our leader's expectations…"

"These guys are getting stronger and stronger…"

Fei dusted off her hands. "So much for them now let's…wait…"

Summer glanced at her. "What's wrong, Fei?"

"Did it just get warmer in here?"

One of the Pinchers looked around. "Now that you mention it…I thought it was just my Infernape but the tempter is still dropping."

Summer's eyes expanded. "Oh no!" She ran back towards the seal. Everyone else followed. As soon as she got there she drew Suicune's Sign again and the stone disappeared.

"Hey, how'd you do that?!" one of the Pinchers asked.

Ignoring him, Summer ran on ahead. She got outside and saw Articuno fly away.

"No!" Nokia watched it leave. "We were too late again!"

Everyone then noticed the snowstorm dying down. "What's going on?" WereGarurumon asked. "The blizzard just stopped!"

"It must be because Articuno left." Arata replied. "I bet the storm itself was also a means to protect it while it was asleep."

Summer growled at the Pinchers. "Red Eyes…Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Was it not enough to kidnap Pokemon, take them from their homes and control them like puppets?!" Ami yelled.

"Now you've gone and woken legendary Pokemon with your tricks. Do you have any idea how dangerous Articuno and Moltress can be if you let them run wild?!" Ben added.

"Pokemon are suffering, angry Digimon that have nothing to do with this are being used as your weapons, and the people of Oblivia are being thrown into uncertainty!" Takumi growled. "Do you even care about the consequences of your crimes?!"

Red Eyes had a stoic expression on. "I'm only doing what I'm supposed to do. Unlike Blue Eyes, who couldn't even manage that. You don't have any right to mouth off to me."

"How selfish!" Summer yelled.

"Don't have any right?" Takumi asked before snarling. "Give me a break you punk! At least Blue Eyes was smart enough to admit when she was in the wrong! What's your excuse?!"

The four Pinchers gathered to their leader. "Leader! Forget about them and let's go after our next target!"

"You think we're just going to let you run away again?!" Fei asked. "Not a chance!"

Another Pincher held up his Control Gauntlet. "They might outnumber us, but if all of us use all of our Pokemon at once, we'll get them!"

"You idiots!" Red Eyes glared. "Are you trying to humiliate me?!"

Shocked, they backed up. "Oh! Sorry!"

"Never forget, all of us Pinchers originally worked alone. Our last fight will always be one-on-one…or so I'd normally say." He looked straight at Ben. "At first you were the only one I wanted to face head on." He then glanced at Takumi. "But then you caught my interest as well. Ben…Takumi…There is one thing I just can't get past. Even though I'm stronger, I have lost to you two many times. But your lucky streak ends here."

Ben and Takumi looked at each other and nodded. They stepped forward. "Guys…" Ben said. "Stay back."

Ami watched them. "Takumi…Ben…"

Her brother kept his eyes on Red Eyes. "We're ending this today."

Red Eyes performed his pose. "Here I come, Pokemon Ranger! Cyber Sleuth! This time I'll show you what I'm really made of!" A Typhlosion jumped out of hiding. Pichu ran up in front of it and brought out his ukulele.

"Pichu!"

"Ha, ha, ha! You're pretty spirited for being so little!"

Ben stepped forward. "And you seem to have a strange sense of honor for someone who takes hostages and uses others to do his dirty work!"

Red Eyes held up his Control Gauntlet. A lion Digimon with white and black armor came out. Takumi checked his Digivice. "GrapLeomon. An Ultimate level Vaccine Digimon that took data from fighting games to grow stronger."

Ben scanned the Pokemon. "Typhlosion. Fire Type. It hides itself by creating heat shimmers with intense heat."

"You should have had your flying rabbit ready over the walrus over there." Red Eyes smirked.

"What form I'm in doesn't change that I'm gonna kick your pets off this mountain and then you after!" Ikkakumon said, standing next to Takumi.

Ben looked at Red Eyes. "For all the people, Digimon, and Pokemon that suffered because of your selfishness…Red Eyes! We will defeat you!" He drew a track on the ground with his Styler. "Go, Guardian Sign! Graveler, come forth!" two Graveler appeared at his side.

Red Eyes cracked his knuckles. "Well then…Here we go!

Typhlosion roared and shot three fireballs from its back. As Pichu and the Gravaler jumped back, GapLeomon and charged at Ikkakumon. "Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon fired a horn missile at GapLeomon.

"Agility Charge!" Red Eye's Digimon dodged the attack and proceeded to ram Ikkakumon and knock him over.

Red Eyes directed his Pokemon. "Flamethrower!" Typhlosion shot a rapid stream of fire at Ben, who jumped out of the way.

The Ranger gave his orders next. "Rollout!" Both Pokemon morphed into spheres and charges at Typhlosion from both sides, but it jumped away and shot another flamethrower at them. But while in mid-air it was hit by a thundershock from Pichu.

"Nanomachine Break!" GrapLeomon punched Ikkakumon so hard he was flung towards Ami and the others who moved away just as he slammed into the snow. While trying to recover Ikkakumon was grabbed and thrown into the air. "The King of Fists!" GrapLeomon proceeded to bombard Ikkakumon with strikes.

"Ha! Looks like my Digimon is the better program!" Red Eyes smirked.

Takumi clutched his fist. "Program?"

"Yeah, that's what they are, aren't they? Just as much a tool as any of my Pokemon."

"Tool? Red Eyes…You want to know why we always beat you and your flunkies even though you think you're stronger? Because you really aren't."

"Excuse me?"

"You gather strong Digimon and Pokemon, but you don't bother connect them or see them for what they really are because of your ego! You hold them back!"

"I don't have time for your clichés kid. I will fulfill my mission and use whatever I need to. Pokemon, programs, it makes no difference. And I'll burn down anything in my way."

Takumi's eyes glowed yellow again. "Red Eyes…Let me show you how to truly use these "programs" Let me show you…the true potential of Digimon!"

DIGIVOLUTION

He held his hand up and the light flew into the air before coming down on Ikkakumon. A shell formed around him. "Ikkakumon Digivolve to…" he came out with orange fur, a grey body, a green shell and a hammer. "Zudomon!"

Everyone was in awe. "That thing's incredible!" Ami said. "Is this…Terriermon's new Ultimate form?"

Red Eyes smirked. "How interesting…"

Nokia scanned the Digimon. "Zudomon! Vaccine Type Ultimate Digimon! It wields the "Thor's Hammer" made of Chrondigizoid!"

"This is the power drawn between humans and Digimon." Takumi said. "Something formed from the bond I share with Terriermon and can never be achieved through your petty thievery and kidnapping. Let's do this Zudomon!"

Takumi's Digimon roared as he charged towards GrapLeomon. "Gale Storm!" Zudomon's claws rammed into the Digimon, flinging it upward. It recovered in mid-air and charged back down towards him.

"Thunder Fall!"

Zudomon kneeled over and blocked the attack with his shell before he got up and swung his hammer, at GrapLeomon who blocked it with its bare hands.

"Eruption!" Red Eye's Typhlosion roared as the area around it exploded. The Graveler and Pichu were all blown back.

Zudomon then threw GapLeomon into Typhlosion right when it was about to capitalize. "Ocean Wave!" Zudomon slammed his hammer onto the ground and a large wave swallowed them both.

GapLeomon roared as it charged towards Zudomon with its fist glowing yellow. "King of Fists!"

Zudomon's hammer glowed yellow as well as he charged at him. "Vulcan's Hammer!" As hammer and fist collided a shockwave pulsed threatening to blow away everyone around them.

"Come on GrapLeomon, grind that weakling to dust!"

Takumi stepped forward. "I told you Red Eyes! As long as you ignore what Digimon really are, and the feelings of others, you won't achieve their true potential! And that's why Zudomon and I will never, EVER lose to you!"

Zudomon roared as he swung harder and sent GrapLeomon into the air. He then held his hammer in both hands and spun in place building momentum. As GrapLeomon came down, it was slammed by the hammer and exploded into blue shards that Takumi collected into his Digivice.

Red Eyes was shocked at first. "…I don't believe it…But I still have Typhlosion! Fire Blast!" His Pokemon roared as fire spread in five separate directions, knocked Ben and his Pokemon away. Red Eyes glanced at Takumi as he marched over to him. He stopped right in front of Red Eyes. "What's with you? If it's another rant, I told you I don't care."

POW

With no warning Takumi punched Red Eyes right in the face. An action that surprised all those around him, friend and foe alike. Takumi smirked at the shocked look on Red Eye's face who had a hand on his sore cheek. "How does that feel, coward? That's nothing compared to the pain that you put on Digimon and Pokemon. Yet you didn't care because you were safe while hiding behind all of your pathetic grunts, and kidnapped creatures. Like a spoiled brat you just did whatever you felt like without even thinking of the consequences. And now it's finally caught up to you."

Everyone froze at that. Red Eyes then smirked. "I see…" then in a flash he punched Takumi back. "There. That's how that felt. Then again, my punch defiantly hurts a lot more than yours, runt."

Takumi brushed it off. "Heh…Is that so?"

And then the fist fight broke out. The Pinchers were too horrified to move while Ami and the others just glanced at each other. "Shouldn't we do something?" Summer asked.

Fei shook her head. "This is his fight. If he wins because one of us stepped in it would look even more pathetic then if he lost."

Arata smirked as he looked back at Takumi, who elbowed Red Eyes in the head. "And take it from me. For somebody so soft-hearted, that guy hits a LOT harder than you think he does."

"Yeah! Go Takumi!" Nokia cheered.

Summer looked back at Ben. Typhlosion roared as it shot another Flamethrower.

"Defense Curl!" On Ben's orders, the Graveler curled up and shielded Pichu while taking the attack. Despite the pain, Pichu's music raised their spirits.

Then Typhlosion stopped, too exhausted to continue its attacks. With that opening Pichu jumped on one of the Graveler and launched himself into the air. Ben jumped onto the other Graveler and leapt into the air as well. As this was happening Takumi gave Red Eyes one final uppercut that knocked him over. Pichu's Thunder attack struck Typhlosion hard as Ben shot his Styler and finished capturing the Pokemon just as Red Eyes landed in the snow.

Ben landed with Pichu on his shoulder and panted. "Ha…Looks like we win!"

Takumi panted even heavier than Ben as he looked at the downed Red Eyes. "Hah…hah…Is that all you got you big loser? And you thought Rangers were useless without Pokemon." Red Eyes just laid there in the snow.

"Ben!" After victory was claimed, Summer ran to Ben and helped him stand.

"Pichuu!" the yellow Pokemon cheered.

Ben smiled at Summer before glancing at the defeated leader. "It's over Red Eyes."

"…Maybe you could say…It wasn't luck…"

"Leader!" The Pinchers ran towards him.

"Leave me alone." They backed off as Red Eyes got up. "Ben…Do you remember that day when I sent you hurtling into the ocean from the clouds? At that time, I honestly thought you were just a weakling. And Takumi…I remember what you said back at Daybreak Ruins. How you wouldn't rest until you've stopped me. Back then I laughed at the idea. But now it's different. You two…You bravely sneaked onto the Pinchers' Submarine, silenced that insolent Blue Eyes, faced treacherous volcanoes and mountains without complaint, and then, you made me, Red Eyes, admit defeat. You're really something."

Ben kept his gaze on him. "Red Eyes…"

As Red Eyes got on his red Z.Z. Flyer the Pinchers turned to him. "Leader! Where are you going? Is our next target decided?"

"Like there'd be a next target for someone whose pride is as tattered as mine."

The Pinchers were taken aback. "Leader!"

"So long!" His Flyer dashed away.

"Please wait! Leader!"

"We'll come with you!" the four Pinchers got on their Z.Z. Flyers and went after him.

Everyone watched them go. "Takumi? Are you alright?" Ami asked.

The boy smiled. "Yeah…Actually, I feel great! Hey Nokia! That last hit was for you!"

"Heh, heh, heh! That's our Slugger Sleuth!" Nokia held up Takumi's hand. "Takumi wins by E.A.O.!"

"That's T.K.O." Arata groaned.

"Whatever!" Nokia replied, still grinning. Everyone laughed.

Summer smiled. "This is an out-and-out Mission Clear!"

"YEAH!" As Ben and Summer posed Ami, Takumi, Nokia, Arata and Fei put their right hands together.

"To think we just took down a criminal organization." Arata chuckled. "Who woulda thought?"

Summer turned to Ben. "Do you remember what Prof. Hastings said? It's because Oblivia is such a peaceful paradise, there are bad people here who take advantage of it."

Ben nodded. "This case is a perfect example of that."

"Hey, we should get back to Yuuko and Yuugo." Takumi said.

Zudomon and the other Digimon went back to Rookie form. "And after that let's report to Kyoko and Rand!" Terriermon said.

Nokia smiled. "Yes! Back to sunny Renbow Island."

Summer laughed. "Yeah, it's way too cold up here on this mountaintop!"

"Maybe if you didn't come hiking up a snowy mountain with a sleeveless top and short shorts!" Ami said.

"Hey, you're the one wearing a skirt here, smarty sleuth!" Summer smirked. "No judging!"

"Yeah well…Hey, I know! When we get back, Kyoko, Takumi and I have been working on new coffee ideas with this world's ingredients! Like oran berry juice with ground old gateau! Nokia! Taste test for us!"

"Awww no!" Nokia groaned. "Now look what you started Summer!" Everyone laughed as they left.

* * *

**Phew, this was a long one. But with that we are almost done the first arc of this story. Two more chapters to go before arc #2 evreyone.**


	29. Chapter 29: After the Battle

**Though he managed to awaken Articuno, Red Eyes suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Ben and Takumi. The Leader of the Pokemon Pinchers stated that he had no will to carry on with his mission before departing. The team decided to head back to Renbow Island to report to Rand and the others.**

* * *

Just when the team got out of the cave connected to the mountain they met up with Yuugo and Yuuko "Is everyone alright?" Yuuko asked.

"Yuuko! You're awake!" Nokia smiled. "Man, you should have seen it! Takumi and Ben beat the snot out of Red Eyes!"

"I see…sorry, I wasn't there to help."

Ami smiled. "Don't worry about it Yuuko. Are you alright?"

"Still a little cold, but I'm fine."

"What about Articuno?" Yuugo asked. "When we got out of the cave and Yuuko woke up we noticed the winds just…died down."

"Unfortunately, we couldn't stop Red Eyes in time from awakening it." Ben said. "But we taught him a lesson after that."

"And where is he now?"

"He flew off to sulk somewhere." Takumi replied.

Yuuko clearly showed concern. "Shouldn't we go after him?"

Arata shook his head. "That's not necessary. I think Red Eyes got the message. He just needed a wakeup call."

"What do you mean?" Yuugo asked.

The boy sighed. "Hey, Takumi…Ami…Remember when I told you the whole story about Jude?" The Cyber Sleuths looked down sadly as he continued. "Back in those days we though we could do whatever we wanted. That we would never get caught…Then one day we got in over our heads and it cost us. Reality hit us hard and I realized just how arrogant we were. In fact, now that I think about it…Red Eyes was pretty similar to how I was back then. Now that he's felt the shame of defeat, he'll start thinking about his actions."

Ben looked back at the mountain. "Maybe you're right."

"Then…That's it?" Yuugo asked. "I guess it's case closed then."

"Yup! Now to report to Kyoko and the others!" Takumi nodded. They proceeded towards Aqua Resort when they noticed a girl sighing to herself.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Summer asked.

"There's a group of Buneary at the foot of the snowy mountain…"

"Buneary?" Nokia asked.

"They look so cold. They must be hungry. I don't think they can find anything to eat there."

"That's horrible…" Yuuko said sadly.

"I want to serve them something warm, but they keep running away. They must hate me…"

"That's not true." Summer said. "They're probably just scared because of the Pinchers coming up the mountain."

"Maybe but…I think the Buneary won't reject you, Ranger. They'll happily gather around you. So please! Please come with me to the snowy mountain!"

"Sure." Ben nodded.

"Uh, guys, what about reporting to Kyoko and the others?" Terriermon asked.

"That can wait, starvation can't." Yuuko replied.

"She's right, it's our duty to help Pokemon." Ben said. "You guys wait here. They're already scared as it is, and a large group will terrify them."

"Okay. We'll be at the Aqua Resort." Takumi said. "After you're done, we'll head back together."

"Thank you!" the girl smiled. "I'll take you to where the Buneary are!"

* * *

Ben Summer and the client went back to the mountain at a wide open area. "I want you to gather up all the Buneary here. Opps! I can't stay here. The Buneary won't come to me. I'd better stay away…"

"Hide for now." Summer said. The girl nodded and walked away.

"Okay, I'll bring them in from one side and you stay on the other." Ben said. "We'll have to corner them."

"Got it."

It took a few minutes of running around and trail and error, but they eventually gathered all four Buneary in one place. "Ha! They say if you chase two Buneary, they both escape but they didn't say anything about four!" Summer giggled.

The girl came towards them and set down a warm bowl. "Go ahead. It's warm and tasty. Don't be scared. It'll warm you up!"

The Buneary stood there nervously.

"Poor things, they're still frightened." Summer said.

"Only one thing to do." Ben said aiming his Styler at them.

"CAPTURE ON!"

After drawing some loops around the four Buneary they slowly inched towards the bowl. They slowly reached for the contents and took a bite. Then another. They started to perk up as they ate.

"Yay, they're eating!" the girl smiled. "These Buneary are so cute!"

"By the way." Summer turned to her. "The Buneary didn't hate you before. They were running from us too and we're Rangers."

"I think you're right. Maybe they thought it was just a chase through the snow. Because…Chasing makes you warm! Right, Buneary?"

"Neary!" The Pokemon bounced happily around the girl.

"See, they don't hate you at all!" Ben smiled.

"Wow, I'm so happy! Thank you, Rangers!"

Back outside the mountain the girl and the Rangers stood near an odd stone.

"The Buneary were so happy! Thank you, Rangers."

"Just doing our job." Ben smiled.

"I'm going to head home now. Take care."

As the girl left Ben and Summer posed. "Quest Clear!"

Summer then heard a noise and turned around. A pattern on the odd rock glowed. "Hey, a Guardian Sign!"

Ben looked at the rock. To him it was plank. "I guess that one's yours. I bet it's the Buneary."

Summer etched the design into her Styler. "Hopefully when we need them, we'll be someplace warm."

Ben chuckled. "Well for now let's grab the others and head back. We've kept Rand and the others waiting long enough."

"Right!"

* * *

Ben and the others were smiling and laughing as they came into Rand's house. Rand greeted them with a smile of his own. "Everyone, thanks for your hard work!

"Judging from those cheeky smiles, I take it everything worked out?" Kyoko smirked.

Takumi nodded. "While we couldn't stop Articuno from awakening, it looks like Red Eyes has given up on his next target."

"Really? Rand asked. "Great work everyone!"

"So, wait, that's it?" Date asked. "We're just letting that creep go scoot free?!"

"Date for the hundredth time, it's not always about making arrests." Matayoshi said.

"And I wouldn't say he got away scoot free." Terriermon added. "Takumi clobbered that jerk!"

"Oh. Okay." Date nodded.

"You're awfully accepting of it all the sudden." Summer muttered.

"Really? This guy did?" the elderly detective chuckled, gesturing to Takumi. "Didn't take him for a martial artist."

"Hay, papa, maybe you can teach Takumi some wrestling moves!" Neme joked. Everyone laughed at that.

"Now Oblivia's Pokemon can sleep safely!" Murph cheered.

Nema turned to her assistants. "Now we don't need to develop a new anti-bad-guy weapon anymore!"

Tokomon jumped up and down. "Yippie! All our previous attempts scared me!"

"Let's make something fun then!" Calumon said.

"That's right, Nema." Murph replied. "From now on, why don't you try and invent a time machine or something?"

"I think that's a great idea!" Leanne smiled. "If I had a time machine, I could see what Oblivia's past was like with my own eyes."

Ben stood quietly, realizing something. _"Oblivia's past…"_

"But until that time machine is ready, you'll spend every day visiting ruins and burying your nose in old books, just like always, right?" Rand asked.

"Of course!"

"When the Wireless Tower is restored, let's immediately report to the Ranger Union about you all have been doing."

"I suppose this case is closed." Kyoko smiled. "Without Red Eyes or Blue Eyes the Pokemon Pinchers activities should cease. Well done evreyone."

"Well…there are still things that need to be done." Ben said. "I imagine the aftermath left a lot of people in need of help."

"And there are still other Digimon trapped here." Takumi added. "Including Arcadiamon, and Myotismon, who's holding it's leash."

"Yeah. Maybe we should do a quick patrol."

"Well, then…I have business in Cocona Village." Rand said standing up. "Could you come by after your patrol?"

"Sure." Ami replied. "We're just going to do one quick sweep of Oblivia and then we'll met you at Cocona."

"Make sure to be there, okay?"

"Kyoko, Date and I will go help Rand." Matayoshi said. "Be back soon, okay?"

As the four of them left, Summer turned to Leanne. "Is something happening in Cocona Village?"

The archeologist smiled. "You'll find out when you go. Nema and I will be there a little later, so please go on ahead once you're done."

"C-can I go, too?" Murph asked.

"Of course!"

"Oh, that had me worried. I thought I'd been forgotten about."

"Pichu, Pichu!" Ben's Pokemon jumped onto his shoulder.

"Okay, let's get going." Ben said. "We should split up so we can cover more Islands. I'll take Takumi and Nokia and go back to Sophian Island. Summer, you, Ami and Arata go to Mitonga Island. The rest of you go around Renbow Island."

Summer nodded. "Okay. Take care everyone." The nine of them went off.

Unimon, carrying Takumi, Ben and Nokia flew around Sophian road.

* * *

"Hey, look down there!" Takumi said, pointing at a man with his Hitmontop near a tree. "That guy looks like he needs help."

"How can you tell?" Ben asked.

"Call it intuition. Come on, Unimon."

"Right."

As Takumi's Digimon landed nearby, the man glanced over to them. "Hi, Ranger! Excellent timing! I needed to talk to you about my Hitmontop."

"Is something wrong with him?" Ben asked.

The man sighed as he looked at his Pokemon. "It was training around here the other day when it hit its head on the rock over there."

Ben looked at the stone nearby. _"That looks like…"_

"You may know that Hitmontop can stand on its head to do a spinning attack…While, mine has forgotten how to do it."

The Pokemon tilted his head. "Top…"

"So, I did some thinking. Ranger, you have that Styler! Your Disc goes around and around during a capture, right? I thought showing it how you capture would help it remember how to spin. Show some compassion for it and help my Hitmontop, please."

"Top. Top."

"Okay." Ben stepped back and pointed his Styler at Hitmontop.

"All right! Do a good job!"

"Top…Top…"

"Are you sure about this?" Takumi asked. "That thing looks kinda scared."

"It'll be fine. Capture on!"

As soon as Ben shot his Styler, Hitmontop got frightened and started running around wildly as Ben's Styler looped around it.

"Come on Hitmontop!" Nokia cheered. "You can do it!"

Ben glanced at his partner. "Hey, Pichu."

After a few loops as Pichu played some soothing music, Hitmontop claimed down. It watched Ben's Styler as it continued to spin around him. After a few moments, Hitmontop got on its head and started spinning rapidly.

The man jumped for joy. "Oh! Hitmontop! That's right! That's the move!"

"Top!" Hitmontop seemed proud of itself.

Ben did a few more loops before retrieving his Styler. "That did the trick."

"You did it Ranger! Now my Hitmontop remembers how to spin!"

"Glad to be of service."

"By the way, Ranger, your twirling was so flawless that…I'm so…So dizzy now. Ha, ha, ha."

"That's…kind of odd." Takumi said. "I mean they aren't going that fast, are they?"

Nokia groaned as she slumped against him, grabbing his shoulders for support. "Someone stop the island…I want off…"

"Nokia?!"

Ben and Pichu laughed as Hitmontop sprang back to its feet before it left with the man. After they were gone, Ben noticed the rock earlier was glowing. He could see an odd pattern on it. "Hey, a Guardian Sign!"

"Is it for Hitmontop?" Takumi asked, helping Nokia straighten up.

"Must be." Ben replied as he recorded the shape into his Styler.

"Cool. Looks like Hitmontop can put his spinning skills to good use."

"Yeah."

* * *

Summer, Ami and Arata walked towards Daybreak Ruins. "The first time I was here was when Ben rescued me…" Summer said, thinking back. "I can still remember ridding Entei with him out of here."

"Awww! How romantic!"

Summer's face flared red as she glared at a smiling Ami. A young man nearby spotted them and ran over to them. "Ranger, could I get some advice?"

"What's up?" Summer asked.

"A Vulpix went into the ruins just now. I know there are Pokemon inside. I'm worried it may get into a fight or two."

"What makes you think that?" Arata asked.

"It may not look it, but it's strong wiled."

"Really?" Ami asked.

The young man nodded. "Ranger, can you go inside and check on it?"

Summer nodded. "Sure."

"Great!"

The Ranger turned to her team. "Let's hurry!" Ami and Arata nodded.

A Vulpix cowered in a corner with three Mightyena glaring at it.

"Yena…"

"Yenaaa."

"Stop!" Summer, Arata and Ami darted towards them and they turned around. They growled at they approached.

Staraptor, Keramon and Palmon stepped in front of them.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Palmon Digivolve to…Togamon!"

"Keramon Digivolve to…Bakemon!" Arata's Digimon took on a new form. That of a white ghost.

Summer glanced at it. "Uh…Arata? Ghosts are weak to dark types."

"Ghost Pokemon maybe."

The first Mightyena charged at Bakemon, but the Digimon shifted to the side. "Death Charm!" he and Mightyena glowed red as he stole its energy.

"Crescent Leaf!" Togamon punched another in the face and it bumped into the one Arata attacked.

"Staraptor! Arial Ace!"

Summer's Pokemon flew into the third and kept going and as a result knocked it into the other two. "Perfect!" Arata grinned. "They're all together! Ami, we need to stun them now!"

"Right! Togamon, use Ripping Net!"

"Ripping Net!" Togamon shot a blast of yellow that paralyzed all three of them. As soon as that was done, Summer tamed them with her Styler.

Once the Mightyena left Summer slowly approached the scared Vulpix. "It's okay. They're gone now." Vulpix jumped into Summer's arms.

Just then the man from earlier hurried over to them. "I just saw some Mightyena leave, looking rather upset. Is everything okay?"

"It's fine now." Ami replied.

"Vul! Vul! Vul!" Vulpix licked Summer's face.

"I think this place is their territory." Summer replied.

The man looked at the Pokemon. "I see. You see, Vulpix? How would you feel if someone came to your territory without being invited?"

The Vulpix looked regretful. "I think that's enough lecturing." Summer said. "It looks like Vulpix understands."

"You're right."

"Vul! Vul!"

"I'll take you home. Let's go." He turned to Summer. "Ranger, everything's fine now. Thank you!"

"Don't just thank me. The Cyber Sleuth and her friends here helped a lot."

The man looked at Ami. "You're one of these Cyber Sleuths I've been hearing about?"

"You've heard of us?"

"Yeah. You guys went around and helped a lot of people and Pokemon with these "Digimon" of yours! Keep it up!" Vulpix happily left with the young man.

"Heh. Looks like the Ranger's aren't the only ones building a rep in Oblivia." Arata smiled.

Ami scratched her cheek. "Heh, heh…"

Summer giggled before a flash of light caught her eye. She spotted a rock with a pattern glowing on it. "Hey, a Guardian Sign!"

Arata and Ami watched Summer run over to the rock and input the shape into her Styler.

"I bet it's for Vulpix." Ami said. "Maybe the little guy really is strong willed. I've been wondering…do you think Pokemon like Vulpix are decedents of Pokemon used by the Hero of Oblivia?"

"If so, he sure had a lot of Pokemon willing to help him." Arata said. "I still don't know why you and Ben can use these."

"Or why we're the only ones who can see them." Summer added. "It's strange…"

"Maybe we'll find out someday." Ami said.

Summer smiled at her. "Maybe. We have our handy Cyber Sleuths after all."

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter. I just wanted to deal with the rest of the Guardian Signs from Quests before wrapping things up for this arc. With that said tune in next week for the finale of arc 1 of Cyber Ranger Guardian Story.**


	30. Chapter 30: The Rainbow Festival

**This is it. The final chapter of arc 1/4 for this story. I know this is still far from over, but it feels strangely satisfying to have the first arc done. In any case, enjoy!**

* * *

**After reporting their mission, Ben and company do one last patrol of Oblivia, obtaining more Guardian Signs in the process. They now return to Cocona Village at the request of Rand.**

* * *

Later Summer Ami and Arata were making their way over to Cocona Village. "So, what do you think Rand wants us to meet about?" Palmon asked.

Arata shrugged. "Who knows. I just hope it's nothing Pincher related. I've had it with those chumps."

"We'll find out soon." Ami said as they passed Bookers house. "Here we…are?"

Cocona Village had never been this crowded. Kids were running and playing, colorful explosions filled the sky, and people were talking and laughing. Summer looked around. "What is all this about?"

A Staraptor cry could be heard and Ben landed nearby with Takumi and Nokia following on Rapidmon. "Whoa. Someone's birthday, or is there some kind of Oblivian holiday going on here?" Takumi asked as Rapidmon became Terriermon again.

"Beats me." Fei said as she, Yuuko and Yuugo approached. "By the time the three of us got here everyone was partyin'."

"Oh! Welcome, Heroes of Oblivia!" They saw Rand approach with a smile plastered on his face."

"Rand? What's with the theatrical gestures?" Ben asked.

"Ye brought true peace to Oblivia!" Leanne approached from behind them with Nema, Murph, Kyoko, Matayoshi and Date.

"Leanne? Why are you referring to us as "ye"?!" Summer asked.

"Told you it would weird them out." Date muttered to Rand.

"Ha, ha, ha. Sorry to have surprised you." Rand rubbed the back of his head. "I'm actually a little embarrassed too. The truth is, today's the day of the Rainbow Festival. We thought it would be a perfect reward for all of the hard work you've done for us."

"Rainbow Festival?" Takumi asked.

Rand nodded as he turned to Ben and Summer. "I'm sure if you relaxed in Oblivia a little bit before going home, Prof. Hastings would just laugh and let it slide."

"I agree." Ami smiled. "You two worked so hard."

"WE worked hard." Summer replied. "All of us."

Kyoko smiled. "Either way, what your superiors don't know can't hurt them. For all they know you're still chasing the Pinchers."

"And even if you wanted to contact them, the wireless is still broken." Murph added.

Nema laughed. "Well, if the Union's PR cheir Murph says so, that means you have official permission from the Ranger Union!"

"Everyone! Please direct your attention to the stage!" Everyone in the village gathered around the wooden stage where one young woman stood.

"Hey, isn't that Nixie?" Nokia asked.

"This year's Rainbow Festival was almost canceled due to the Pokemon Pinchers, but thanks to those two brave, young Rangers and their friends the twin Cyber Sleuths, we were able to hold the festival!"

Everyone turned to Ben, Summer, Takumi and Ami as the applaud. "Thanks, Rangers!"

"You Cyber Sleuths were awesome too!"

"You might as well just live here in Oblivia!"

"If you do, then Rand will have nothing to do!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Matayoshi laughed as the four kids looked around with bashful expressions. "Feeling a tad humble there?"

Takumi scratched his cheek. "I didn't think people would make such a big deal out of it…"

Nixie clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone listen up! I'm sure you all know this part of the Rainbow Festival…It's time to announce who will be playing the role of the Hero who searches for the grail. This year that role will be played by four people! Ben, Summer, Takumi and Ami! Let's give them a hand!"

"How great!" Nema sang. "Good luck, you guys!"

"Uh…with what exactly?" Ami asked.

"Huh, what's this?" Summer looked at Ben. "The role of the Hero who searches for the grail?"

"Last year, I was the Hero in the Rainbow Festival, so I'll do the explainin'." The Rangers and Sleuths looked behind them to see Booker approach with the seven other Pichu.

Ukulele Piche smiled in delight. "Picchuu!"

Ben smiled. "Booker!"

The man smiled. "Hello, Ukulele Pichu! Glad to see you're doin' well." He turned to the Pichu. "Hey, y'all, go play over there." As the Pichu ran off Booker turned back around and cleared his throat. "Okay, Heroes, listen up. The Hero of Oblivia's search for the grail is the highlight of the Rainbow Festival. Since you were picked to be the Heroes, you have to get the Raibow Grail from Rasp Cavern and bring it back to the village. But in order to get the grail, you must pass The Hero's Trail."

"Wow. Sounds scary, but fun!" Murph said.

Nixie smiled. "Thanks for the explanation, Booker. We'll all wait excitedly for our two heroes to bring back the Raibow Grail from Rasp Cavern!"

Takumi turned to Ben. "What do you say? Ya up for it?"

"If everyone's expecting us to, how can we say no?"

Summer nodded. "I'm surprised by how sudden this is, but we'll just have to do it!"

Ami laughed. "Then let's get going! We'll pass this trail with rainbow colors!"

"I told you this would be a chance to rest, but you've got a pretty difficult role." Rand said. "Sorry about that. But this isn't a duty, so just relax and enjoy the trail."

"I'll show you where the trail is." Booker said. "Let's go, Heroes!"

"Good luck!" Nema waved as they left.

"Takumi! Ami! I know you can do this, so you better not screw up!" Nokia added.

"Just think of this as another case!" Matayashi hollered.

* * *

As Booker lead Ben, Takumi, Summer and Ami into the cave, the teenagers looked around. "I remember when we were last here." Ben said.

"Yeah." Takumi nodded. "This was where we first saw Raikou. And where Terriermon first became Gargomon. Well in this world anyway."

"So much has happened since I came here to Oblivia…"

Booker stopped on front of a wooden gate that was previously locked but now open. "From here on out, you're on your own."

"Thanks Booker." Ben said as he proceeded inside with his friends.

Nick was on the other side to greet them holding a script. "Oh! Welcome, Heroes. This is The Hero's Trail. You cannot obtain the Rainbow Grail without passing the trail."

They were slightly surprised to see him. "Oh, hey Nick." Ami said.

"I said I didn't want to do it, but they made me play this role. But…"

Terriermon groaned. "Here it comes."

"I was feeling uneasy, because it was taking you so long to get here. Perhaps you'd been called away on a sudden Mission, or you forgot about the trail and left Oblivia, or…" Everyone sighed as he went on. "I'd wait like this until night, then morning, then night, and even though I'd been waiting here all this time, everyone in the village would forget me! "Now that you mentioned it, someone named Nick did live here." "What was he like again?" "Really? I thought there was someone like that here, but am I wrong?" "Hey, pull it together! You always…"

"Nick! Enough!" Summer snapped.

"Yeah, we know you're good at having pessimistic daydreams already." Ben added. "Tell us about the trail."

"Oh yeah." Nick cleared his throat. "Behold the trail floor before thee. Sixteen tiles, four elong… Okay." Nick threw the papers he was given over his shoulder. "This is a pain, so I'm just going to speak normally."

"Please do." Palmon said as the others laughed. "The weird talk everyone's been doing is getting annoying."

Nick looked behind him. "There was a set of sixteen panels on the floor in a box. One was damaged and two were glowing blue. "Two of the sixteen panels are lit up. Stepping on one of those panels starts the trail. Step on every unit panel once, and reach the other lit panel to pass the trail. However, if you step out of the area, or step on a lit panel that you've already stepped on, you have to restart from the beginning. Also watched out for cracked panels. You can't step on them." Nick turned back around. "Anyhoo! If you don't pass this trail, you cannot obtain the Rainbow Grail."

"Ha! I've cleared puzzles like this in my video games back home!" Takumi smirked. "This'll be a snap!"

"I wish you luck! Last year, this trail made the boss cry…"

"Oh dear…" Ami replied.

"Not a problem!" Takumi stepped onto the panel in the lower left corner and looked around to think of his move. "Let's see…" He went to the right and then up then down, making all the outer panels glow blue. He then stepped to the one on the right then up two and right again to the second glowing panel. "Ta da."

"Wow. You do, do this a lot." Ben said.

Nick clapped. "Amazing! You have passed The Hero's Trail with flying colors! Now take the Rainbow Grail with your own hands!" Nick said as he held an ancient looking cup.

Ben took it in his hands. "Huh. It's a lot lighter than it looks."

"Phew! Thanks to you, my job is over. Be careful on the way back! You might happen to skip along all exited, stumble on some rocks, then drop the Rainbow Grail, and break it. Then you might hurriedly try to hide it by gluing it together, but at that point you're feeling so guilty, you can't enjoy the Rainbow Festival, and…"

Ben sighed. "Nick, seriously, stop."

Summer ignored the rant. "We're heading back to Cocona Village! Thanks for the hard work!"

"Let's get going then!" Ami said. "Everyone's waiting!"

Nixie stood on the stage again. "Attention, everyone! Our Heroes have passed the trail and safely brought us the Rainbow Grail!"

Everyone applauded again. "Yay! Way to go!"

"They kept Oblivia peaceful!"

Nick ran to the audience. "Somehow I made it in time! You left me behind and went really fast…"

"Now then, please enjoy the rainbow dance performed by the eight Pichu from Dolce Island!" Nixie declared. "This year we have a surprise! There will also be a ukulele performance!" Nixie got down from the stage and Ukulele Pichu along with his eight friends. They lined up in two rows of four.

They stepped to one side, then the other and jumped. They did so again before the front and back lines switched. Then switched again. Then they formed a circle with Ukulele Pichu in the center. He took out his Ukulele and started playing. The Pichu at the top of the circle jumped. Then the two below it, then the two next them, making a wave. As the tempo picked up the Pichu went faster. And Ukulele Pichu started to glow with electricity. He jumped and twirled landing with a little pose.

Everyone applauded the Pokemon as they bowed. "That was Ukulele Pichu and the other Pichu's dance! Thank you very much!" Nixie announced. "Now then, O Heroes of Oblivia! Hold the grail above brought high above you! Now, everyone, let's show our gratitude for the peace we enjoy in Oblivia!"

Ben nudged Takumi as he held the grail. "Come on. This isn't just a Pokemon Ranger achievement. We need a Cyber Sleuth representation." Takumi smiled and nodded. He walked onto the stage with Ben, Summer and Ami as Pichu cleared some space for them. Ben got a good look at the pattern on the stage as they stepped on it. _"Hey…Did I see this somewhere before…? Nah. I must be imagining things."_

Takumi put on his goggles. "Terriermon!"

Ami put on hers. "Palmon!" The Digimon ran towards the stage and jumped.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Terriermon Warp Digivolve to…Rapidmon!"

"Palmon Warp Digivolve to…Lillymon!"

Everyone applauded in awe as Rapidmon and Lillymon flew overhead of Ben and Takumi who each took a handle of the grail and held it up proudly. Ami and Summer stood by their sides and waved. More colorful bursts of smoke filled the air as everyone cheered.

"Hip, hip hooray!" Murph cheered. "Hooray for Oblivia!"

"Looking good you guys!" Nokia cheered.

Booker clapped. "Pichu, that was a mighty fine show! You went to all that trouble, so go ahead and do it again! Encore, encore!"

"Today, let's dance until our legs give out!" one of the older woman said. "It's showtime, yeah!"

* * *

The festival continued on through the night. Yuuko was trying out some of the Oblivian snacks, Nokia, Calumon, Tokomon, Agumon and Gabumon were playing with children. Ben was sitting at a tree looking at the night sky. He reflected on everything that happened since his arrival in Oblivia. Takumi and Ami, Pichu, the legendary Pokemon, the battles against Blue Eyes and Red Eyes.

"Hey, Ben!" Summer walked over to him. "What are you sitting here alone for?"

"Nothing…just…thinking. So much has happened here. And reflecting on it made it clear to me that if we never met Takumi and Ami, we wouldn't have ever been able to pull this off."

Summer sat down next to him. "Yeah. I know what you mean. It kind of makes me wonder if we can call ourselves Top Rangers."

"Being a Ranger doesn't mean doing everything on your own." Takumi said as he and Ami walked over to them.

"Oh, hi guys."

"It's not like we could have done this without you either." Ami added. "Besides, if we didn't meet you guys, Takumi and I would probably be wondering around Oblivia aimlessly. So, thanks."

"Eh. It was nothing."

"Hey, guys!" Nokia ran over to them. "Great party, huh? It reminds me of that Digimon Festival!"

"Digimon Festival?" Summer asked.

"It was a case we got after our world and the Digital World collided." Takumi explained. "Some Digimon were trying to throw a festival and we were invited because we helped Digimon a lot in the past."

"Oh, don't undersell it!" Nokia grinned. "I'm pretty sure I was told that you two were celebrities to Digimon!"

Ben whistled. "Sounds like you two built quit a rep!"

"I still don't see why they had us play the heroes in their battle event…" Ami said.

"Normally I'd argue with that." Nokia grumbled. "If it weren't for that sarcastic comment you gave Leomon when you were supposed to be saving me from him Ami! And then you two ran out on us!"

Ami glared at her. "Well, Nokia, let's call that payback for what you said to me when we first met at the EDEN Demo!"

"Oh, come on! Will you ever let that go?! Wait, what did I say to you?"

"What's with that weird thing growing out of the side of your head?" Honestly, like you never saw a ponytail before!"

Nokia nervously chuckled as Palmon, Terriermon, Takumi, Summer and Ben laughed. "Ooooh…right. That. You're still upset about that?"

"I have bad memories of my brother, Yuuko, Yuugo, and Arata laughing their heads off!"

"Oh, come on, I just never seen someone with a ponytail at the side of the head instead of the back!" Nokia walked over to Ami and starred at it. "Come to think of it, you've had your hair like that ever since, haven't you?"

"You just noticed that?" Takumi asked.

"Look of this big poofy thing!" Nokia giggled, batting Ami's ponytail lightly, watching it swing back and forth, to Ami's annoyance.

"Like a cat with a toy dangling in front of its face." Takumi chuckled.

"Hey, let the Digimon Princess have her fun! Makes up for the fact that she had to chase her heroes all over the place to get them to rescue her!"

Terriermon glared at her this time. "Nokia, do you have any idea how many Digimon we were forced to fight? Me neither, because I lost track somewhere after thirty!"

"Oh, come now, I know you four had fun with the other events! Like the Digimon totem pole contest!"

"Yeah, that was pretty fun." Takumi admitted.

"Totem pole contest?" Summer asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Ami replied. "Takumi smoked the rest of the competition."

"Because Terriermon and I have a great sense of balance! Even back in the EDEN Demo eight years ago! Watch this!" Takumi ran over to a rock, turned around and jumped back landing on it with one foot. Terriermon leapt up and landed on his head, balancing on him with one ear.

"Showoffs." Ami giggled.

Ben noticed one of Ukulele Pichu's friends sneaking up on Takumi and Terriermon. "Carful now, it'd be a shame if someone bumped you."

The Pichu charged at them only for Takumi to catch him in mid air and toss him up. He landed on Terriermon's other ear. "If you wanted to join, you only had to ask."

"What?! No way!" Ben gapped as Ami and Nokia laughed.

"I wanna join! I wanna join!" Calumon flew over and balanced on the Pichu's head with one foot.

Nokia giggled as she took a picture with her Digivice. Takumi smiled as he got down and let everyone off. Calumon and the Pichu left. "Oh, speaking of the EDEN demo, I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Ami asked.

Nokia gave her a teasing grin. "I remember a certain quirk a pretty little Ami had when we were kids."

"Quirk?"

"Yes! I remember when we were playing in the Digital world and someone came down with a serious case of the giggles!"

Ami's eyes widened and she backed away. "I-I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"Aww! Does that mean you got less ticklish as you grew up?"

"If anything, she's more ticklish then back then."

Ami turned around to glare at her grinning brother. "Shut up Takumi!" And while her back was turned to Nokia, the girl snuck up behind her and started skittering her fingers around her ribcage. "AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" Ami jolted as she covered her sides.

"Yup! She's ticklish alright!" Nokia laughed.

Ami tried to run away, but Takumi wrapped his arms around her as she tried to get past him and lifted her up off her feet before proceeding to carry her over to the rock he was balancing on. "Going somewhere?"

"Put me down!" Ami demanded. "Don't you dare!"

"Don't what?" Takumi asked innocently. "Oh. This?" His fingers brushed around his sister's sides.

"N-no! S-sto-Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

After a moment Takumi kept her arms trapped in a lock. "Have at her Nokia!"

Nokia grinned as she started exploiting any ticklish spot on Ami. From her ribs, to her belly, even her neck was ticklish. "Ami's ticklish!" Nokia said in a singing tune. "Ami's ticklish! Ami's ticklish!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!" Ami giggled uncontrollably as she tried to get away. "Ha, ha, ha, ha!" The three of them remembered this exact scene when they were little kids in the Digital World.

Ben and Summer chuckled at them. Takumi and Nokia only backed off long after Ami's face was red and leaking tears.

"Heh, heh. The hijinks we went to back when we were young." Nokia giggled as she watched Ami catch her breath.

"I remember having as much fun back then as I did in the Digimon Festival." Terriermon said.

"It was nice to see Digimon enjoy themselves despite the situation. I feel the same when I look at the everyone here." Takumi said. "Digimon, Pokemon and Humans alike."

"Yup! And this is all thanks to you and Ben defeating Red Eyes!" Nokia smiled.

"Still I can't really say everything has been taken care of." Ben said.

Takumi nodded. "True. There's still Myotismon and Arcadiamon."

"Wha-No I meant how you guys are going to get home!"

"Oh…right."

"You almost sound disappointed." Summer said.

"Well…I guess I just don't want to leave anything unresolved before leaving Oblivia."

Those thoughts stuck with Ben. _"That's right…Summer and I will have to leave soon…And there's something I still need to do here…"_

"Ben? Ben!" Summer waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention.

"Huh? What?"

"Are you okay? You're spacing out."

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it. I'm uh…Just going to check something out." He walked over to the stage where Ukulele Pichu was dancing. "Hey, partner, you got a minute?"

"Pichu?" Pichu jumped off the stage and onto Ben's shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Takumi asked.

"Nowhere special. I'll be back."

"I can go with you." Summer offered.

"N-no, no! It's fine! Just wait here, I'll be back before you know it!" Ben hurried off leaving the others in concern.

Summer in particular was beginning to worry. "Ben…"

* * *

Ben ran over to the odd pillar in Cocona Village and looked around. "Okay…Nobody is here…this is where I said we would meet him." He stood there and looked around. "But I don't see him, do you?"

Pichu glanced back and forth. "Pi…"

"Did something happen to him?"

Summer hid nearby with Takumi, Ami, Nokia, Arata, Yuuko, Yuugo and Fei along with their Digimon and Staraptor. "Who's he looking for?" Ami asked.

Takumi shrugged. "Ya got me."

"Hey! Celibi! Are you there? It's me, Ben!"

Summer looked at him in surprise. "Celibi…the Legendary Pokemon Celibi?!"

"Hey, isn't that the Pokemon we saw at the mansion?" Arata asked. "The one that abducted Ben?"

"I KNEW he was hiding something!" Nokia scowled. "Nothing" my foot!"

Suddenly the pillar near Ben glowed blue. Then a yellow hole opened up next to him. "This is just like Celibi's light…" he glanced at Pichu. "Do you think he's telling us to come in?"

"Pichu! Pichu!"

"What's that?" Yuugo asked from the hiding place. "Some kind of…portal?"

"Come on, Pichu!"

"Pi!" Ben and his partner jumped in.

"Ben!" Summer ran towards the light with her Staraptor.

"Summer, wait!" Ami followed after her. Without thinking, one by one they all ran into the portal just as it was closing.

And with this, the gears were set. A new battle-No. A war was about to begin.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**And with that we have finished up the first arc of Cyber Ranger Guardian Story. I doubt the other three arcs will be equal in length, so it's hard to say what percentage we are at in terms of completing the story. That aside, I thank you all for reading and again thank all of you who left favorites and reviews for this story. And I hope you check in next week, because I'm starting the sequel to this story: Cyber Ranger Guardian Story: Oracle War. ...Actually this technically takes place in the distant past, so doesn't that make this a prequel? Whatever, the point is next up is the multiplayer missions, so look forward to the second arc!**


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